The real beauty with simple things is that they don’t demand much. All they expect is some love and a bit of respect. Take tea, for instance, a loyal drink that doesn’t change its essence, whether had in a glitzy star hotel or at unassuming stall across the street.
The joie de vivre always remains deliciously humble. But it’s one thing to enjoy tea and quite another to know your tea. Considering, close to 64 per cent of India’s population drinks the beverage every day, it was time to take a look at the ways in which it has been taken for granted.
At The Imperial Hotel’s Culinary Club event recently, that brought Tea Sommelier Anamika Singh and Chef Parul Pratap together, we were taken down the tea trail to traverse the gamut of India’s teascape, and to explore its delicious companionship with food.
Do anything but just don’t commit the massacre of diluting the wholesomeness of tea by adding milk and sugar to it. The sentence was carrying equal parts of desperation and frustration. “Milk interferes with the natural biological activities of tea leaves and reduces the antioxidants count. Tea in its pure form improves your immunity and reduces cell damage,” says Singh, who is surprised that even the most avid tea drinkers don’t know this. She is ready to place her bets on the fact that the majority don’t even know how to make tea the right way. “If you call yourself a tea connoisseur, you must know the source of your tea,” she says.
The next uncompromisable aspect is water, that she calls the mother of tea. Its temperature determines everything. Don’t boil your tea, nor should you brew it beyond four-five minutes, she shares. Finally, sip, don’t drink. “Tea is romance in a cup, don’t gulp it down. I sometimes serve my tea in wine glasses because for me it’s a luxurious, uber fine experience just like wine for some people,” she says.
The diversity of tea infusions have today tempted chefs to explore how best their food can complement its burgeoning flavour palate. “It’s a whole new space for us to dive into. Wine and food pairing and wine and coffee pairing have all been done to death. The future is all about tea and treats,” says Pratap.
She recommends two simple yet utterly satisfying dishes with the two types of tea blends presented by Singh’s Anandini Himalaya Tea. The first is a really simple, hearty and comforting preparation of Pumpkin Risotto with Basil Butter paired with an Oolong tea that is infused with spices and flowers with high notes of orange and ambered Oolong.
The overall softness of the tea will go well with grilled vegetables, white chocolates, and apples, we thought. Besides throwing in generous portions of luscious red apples, cinnamon powder, butter and brown sugar, Pratap also tosses in her archetypal wit and humour into the mix. As her hands meet the ingredients of the Oats Apple Crumble, she confesses how Singh’s next tea pairing is her personal guilty pleasure. “It’s the most delicious tea concoction. Wait and watch,” she says.
Called Bronze tea, a blend of coffee and tea, it’s something Singh says she’ll probably never do again, just for the pure novelty of the infusion. It’s also something nobody else in India has done so far. “I didn’t know much about coffee so I took Blue Tokai Coffee Roasters help. What we’ve made is a beautiful coffee with warm dense undertones. It goes marvellously with sweet hints, one such being a classic crumble,” she says. Try it for yourself.
Everything said and done, both tea and food are matters of personal choice. While a rule book helps in deciphering the best ways of enjoying them, making your own rules is utterly satisfying too. So go along and write your journey.