Best Smoky Tea Stock Recipes

SMOKY ICED TEA

Steps:

• Pour water over tea, and steep for 5 minutes. Strain, and stir in preserves. Let cool. Serve over ice with garnish.

TEA SMOKED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Toast the Szechuan peppercorns in a dry skillet until fragrant, about 4 minutes. Cool slightly, and then crush in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle with the salt and five-spice powder until very fine. Rub seasoned salt all over the chicken thighs. Place in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or preferably overnight.
• Bring the chicken to room temperature about 30 minutes before cooking.
• Line the bottom of a wok, skillet or heavy pot with a double layer of aluminum foil. Mix the rice, tea and brown sugar together and mound on the foil. Set a steamer on top, and evenly space the chicken on the rack. Cover and cook over high heat. Hot smoke the chicken until smokey-brown colored and cooked through, about 12 minutes.
• While the chicken cooks, whisk the Shao-sing wine or sherry, soy, ginger, and sesame together in a small saucepan. Bring to boil over high heat, remove from heat and steep for 5 minutes. Brush over cooked chicken.
• To serve: Dice the chicken into very small pieces. Toss with the scallions and peanuts in a medium bowl. Cut the lettuce leaves into 40 squares or triangular scoops. Place a drop of Sriracha on top of each lettuce cup, and top with about 2 teaspoons of the diced chicken. Squeeze lime juice over the top, and drizzle the remaining soy-ginger sauce over the chicken. Serve.

SMOKY TEA STOCK

Steps:

• Drop some sliced ginger into 6 cups water, bring to a boil, then turn off the heat.
• Let rest for a few minutes, then stir in 1/4 cup Lapsang souchong tea leaves (green tea is also good). If you can't find loose tea leaves, use 4 tea bags.
• Steep for 5 or 10 minutes, then strain. Season with soy sauce if you like, and add some black pepper.

TEA-SMOKED PORK AND TENDER CABBAGE STIR-FRY

Steps:

• Place the pork in a 2-quart saucepan, add the water, ginger, green onions, sugar, and salt, and bring to a boil. Adjust the heat so the liquid is simmering, cover the pot, and simmer until the pork is almost cooked through, about 8 minutes. Drain the pork and set aside.
• Line the inside of a wok and the inside of its lid with aluminum foil. Make the smoking mixture: Stir the tea leaves, rice, sugar, and star anise together in the lined wok, then spread evenly over the bottom. Set a round rack over the smoking mixture, about 3 inches above the mixture, and set the pork on the center of the rack.
• Place the wok, uncovered, over high heat. When the rice mixture begins to smoke, cover the wok, reduce the heat to medium, and smoke until the pork turns a rich, deep brown, about 25 minutes. Turn off the heat and let stand for 5 minutes before removing the lid.
• Let the pork cool briefly, then cut into1/8-inch-thick slices. (Discard the smoking mixture and foil.) Clean the wok and heat it over high heat until hot. Add the oil and swirl to coat the sides. Add the garlic, ginger and chile and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the pork, cabbage, carrot, and bamboo shoots and stir-fry until the cabbage is wilted, about 1 minute.
• Add the chicken stock, soy sauce and chile garlic sauce and bring to a boil. Adjust the heat so the sauce is simmering, cover the wok, and simmer until the carrot is tender, about 3 minutes.
• Pour in the dissolved cornstarch and cook, stirring, until the sauce thickens slightly, about 30 seconds. Stir in the sesame oil, scoop onto a warm serving platter and serve hot.

DARK TURKEY STOCK

Steps:

• Heat oven to 450 degrees. Place bones, meat and chopped or broken-up carcass in a large roasting pan, and place in the oven. Roast, stirring occasionally, for about 1 hour, or until nicely browned. Don't worry if the meat sticks to the bottom of the pan.
• Add chopped vegetables, and roast for about 30 minutes more, stirring once or twice.
• Remove roasting pan to stove top, and place it over one or two burners, whichever is more convenient. Turn heat to high, and barely cover the bones with water, about 8 to 10 cups (it's fine if some of the bones poke up out of the water). When water boils, turn heat down so that the liquid simmers.
• Cook, stirring occasionally and scraping bottom of pan to loosen any bits of meat, for about 30 minutes. Cool, then strain. Refrigerate, and skim off excess fat. Then, store for up to 3 days in the refrigerator (longer if you bring the stock to a boil every second day), or up to several months in the freezer.