The Joy of Cooking

I've had some requests for more savory tea-based recipes, and as you may know, I relish doing as I'm told.


I don't know why I automatically think sweet when cooking with tea. Am I a secret sugar addict? Perhaps.

Or maybe I just see the effect dessert can have on people. Salty, spicy and fatty foods certainly satisfy cravings, but it's the warm slice of gingerbread, the runny piece of sour cherry pie topped with creme fraiche, the hot fudge sinking into a scoop of vanilla ice cream that make the eater's eyes close in pleasure and quiet moans escape in that first exhale. Nothing is more pleasing to a cook than witnessing that transcendence.

Still, you do need salt to offset all that sugar. So here's a recipe I've been sitting on for years, for no reason other than unmitigated laziness. There's three ingredients, not counting water, so I truly have no excuse. And it's quite tasty- with a pleasantly exotic jasmine fragrance- so it's now going into the regular rice rotation (I'm working up to 20 servings a week).

Jasmine Tea Rice
Makes: 4 servings.

1 tablespoon loose jasmine tea
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups jasmine rice

1. Bring 2 1/4 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Remove from heat and add tea; cover and steep for 5 minutes. Strain, discarding tea leaves; return brewed tea to the saucepan and stir in salt.

2. Bring tea back to a boil over medium-high heat. Add rice, cover, and reduce heat to low. Cook 15 minutes, until tea is absorbed. Let sit for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork and serve.

I had it underneath a simple but rich Thai curry bursting with all my favorite vegetables (broccoli, carrots, mushrooms and tomatoes). The coconut milk played so well off the jasmine essence, it almost made me forget about dessert. Almost.