And why you should give them a spin

I shared with you guys on Instagram Stories a few weeks ago that my amazing hubby slipped a subscription to Food and Wine magazine in my stocking this year. I’ve followed them for years, but just hadn’t made it to subscription-level. Well, I’ve now got the only New Year’s Resolution I decided to take on: learn new techniques by cooking through these issues.

Today’s post came about when tea-based soups graced the cover of my January Food and Wine magazine. Cooking with tea instead of chicken broth or veggie stock fit the bill for a “new” technique for me! I knew I had to give them a try.

I love teas and usually have a 4:00 PM black or green tea and a peppermint or lavender-infused tea to wind down before bed. But, making soup with tea? That had me completely stumped.

It really shouldn’t have surprised me though. After all, we make cookies using chai or matcha, and I’ve certainly seen teas and espressos used in rubs for meats.

We tested out their Herbed Lemongrass Broth with Shrimp recipe and their Orzo and Chickpeas with Turmeric-Ginger Broth recipe.

I have to say the most crucial part of these recipes is getting the teas right. I recommend sourcing from Whole Foods or your local international grocery store. We source a good bit of our more unique ingredients from international markets and they always have them. For example, Ras el Hanout is getting easier to find conventionally, but if you’re looking for the authentic Moroccan 24- or 30-spice blend, the international market is often your best bet. If you haven’t tried it, it’s fantastic and you should. I’m pro-making your own spice blends if it’s a one-time-use situation with five or six spices blended together, but 24? Nope. I’m outsourcing.

Back to the “tea soup” though. Here are the three things I enjoyed about using the tea as a soup base:

  1. It tastes fresh and detoxifying. It’s almost like you took a hearty chicken soup and lightened it up. It’s also surprisingly filling. Bear in mind that it is different. It took me a few spoonfuls to appreciate it – and having a lot of toppings definitely helps it feel more savory.
  2. It is so quick to make. Instead of a soup that needs to simmer for ages, both of these recipes took 20 minutes to make. 20 minutes! Talk about an ideal weeknight meal. You essentially steep the tea and chop your ingredients, place your ingredients in an individual bowl, then pour your tea over it and garnish.
  3. There are so many health benefits. Now, I’m no doctor, so don’t take my words as if they were coming from one, but here’s an article on why turmeric is fabulous and lemongrass is wonderful. Those are two main ingredients in the teas we used as bases for these soups. (You might remember my first introduction to turmeric’s anti-inflammatory reputation with this recipe from our Cleanse, Clarify, & Celebrate party).
  4. I lied. I have four reasons why I enjoy these tea-based soups. The fourth is that they are beautiful. The phrase “you eat with your eyes first” is true, and these soups have gorgeous plays of colors that make you want to dive in.

I really can’t recommend giving these a shot enough. I can’t say that they would replace my regular meat-based broths and soups, but I would certainly throw one into the mix every once in a while.

If you try these, I’d love to hear what you think – especially if you found more recipes you enjoyed and would like to share with yours truly! Ping me in the comments below or on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter.

Happy cooking!