Tea as a drink has come a long way and is slowly established as more than just a usual drink across cafes and restaurants in India. This International Tea Day on Saturday, why not add some variety to your sip by trying some new recipes?Cheg Gregory Bazire at Brooke Bond Taj Mahal Tea House explains how to make Chocolate Chai Liegeois.
* Chocolate Chai Liegeois (serves 4)
Chocolate chai base:
* Ingredients: 200g couverture chocolate 55 per cent; 40 gram sugar; 25 gram corn flour; 200 gram fresh cream; 200 gram milk.
* Process: Warm the cream and add the chocolate in broken pieces and melt it lowly. Warm up the milk and sugar, add the corn flour and pour into the cream with chocolate. Keep on stirring until thickens; Pour into a transparent cup and reserve in the fridge until use.
Vanilla Cream:
* Ingredients: 250 ml fresh cream; 70 gram icing sugar; 1 vanilla pods.
* Process: Remove the seeds from the vanilla pods and add them to the cream; Whip the cream until good consistency and add the sugar and whip again a little; Keep chilled until use.
So before you enjoy the your liegeois, top the chai cream with a good amount of vanilla cream, add a few chocolate vermicelli and why not a few almond slivers.
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The second recipe is Tea Smoked Salmon curated by Jaydeep Mukherjee, Brand Head at Smoke House Deli, Impresario Handmade Restaurants Pvt Ltd.
* Tea Smoked Salmon (Serves 4)
Ingredients: 4 numbers of Salmon fillet with skin, portioned (160 gm); Salt to taste; Black pepper crushed, to taste; 50 ml Olive oil; Thyme – few sprigs; 2 numbers of garlic crushed; 15 gram butter; 40 gm Organic Jowar, boiled; 40 gm Organic Barley, boiled; 40 gm Organic Bajra, boiled; 40 gm Organic toasted buckwheat, boiled; 80 gm Bellpeppers, deseeded, finely chopped; 30 gm Seaonal peas; 20 gm Parsley, chopped; Zest and juice of 1 lemon; 20 gm onion chopped; 4 cloves garlic chopped; 30 ml olive oil; Lime chili aioli; 300 gm Seasonal greens, cleaned, torn; 4 cloves Garlic sliced.
* To smoke: 100 gm Rice; 50 gm Assam tea.
* Process:
* To smoke the salmon; Score the skin, then season the salmon with salt and pepper. In a heavy bottom wok or kadai, place 4 sheets of aluminium foil, then top with the raw rice and tea. Place on a high heat and wait for it to start smoking. Once it starts to smoke, place the fillet, skin side down on a bamboo steamer or wire rack and place in the wok. Reduce the flame to medium. Cover well with the bamboo cover or wrap in aluminium foil. Keep on the flame for 5 minutes. Then take off the flame and leave on the side covered for 10- 15 minutes.
* Warm multigrain salad – Heat the olive oil in a non-stick pan on a medium flame. Saute the chopped onion and garlic till translucent. Add vegetables and toss quickly. Then add the boiled grains and toss. Season as required. Finish with chopped parlsey, lemon zest and lemon juice.
* Wilted greens – Heat olive oil in a non-stick pan. Add the sliced garlic and cook till a light golden brown. Add the seasonal greens to the pan. Add salt and pepper as required and toss off the flame.
* Assembly – Heat olive oil in a pan. Add the crushed garlic and let it flavour the oil. Remove the salmon from the smoker and place in the pan, skin side down for 2 minutes, or until the skin is crisp. Add thyme and butter, and baste the salmon. Turn the salmon on the flesh side and keep in a warm place to finish cooking to your preferred doneness.
In a plate, spoon the lime chilli aioli. Place the warm multi-grain salad and wilted greens next to it. Place the pan seared smoked salmon on it, crispy skin side up. Serve with lemon wedges and a drizzle of Extra Virgin olive oil.
