Tea is not just a relaxing refreshing drink but a great way to add that something special in your next dish. 

It may be a new or foreign concept to some but this practice has been used since the beginning of tea itself. The ancient Chinese used dried oolong leaves with fish before steaming to give the fish a pungent flavorful taste. Tea leaves would be added to a fire source for smoking. In which the meat would take on the rich flavors of the tea accompanied with peppercorns, cardamom and cloves. 

I’m not sure if you want to break out an open flame to recreate this smokey taste but here are a few ideas on how to incorporate tea in your everyday cooking. 

Substitute tea for water

It’s a great way to slightly alter the flavor of your dish without compromising the texture of your items. When you’re cooking rice or grains, noodles, or even oatmeal simply brew your favorite tea leaves and use them in place of water. What’s even better about this tip is that you can honestly use any tea leaves that you want! 

Include tea leaves in a spice rub

Tea leaves are pretty close to herbs, right? So, why not use loose-leaf tea in addition to or instead of herbs like basil and oregano? Sprinkle green or black tea leaves into your favorite recipes or grind them up and use them in your favorite spice rub.

Add tea to your favorite desserts

If you’re still skeptical about using tea in soup or with meat, start off by trying it with dessert! There are so many desserts that are created using milk, so a simple way to do this is by steeping your loose-leaf tea leaves in warmed milk or almond milk. 

Another one of my favorites is  Earl grey tea included into any butter cookie recipe for the perfect tea cookie! 

Earl Grey Shortbread Cookies 

Recipe courtesy of Claire Robinson 

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons loose Earl Grey tea leaves

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup confectioners' sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature

Directions

* In a food processor, pulse together the flour, tea, and salt, until the tea is just spotted throughout the flour. Add the confectioners' sugar, vanilla, and butter. Pulse together just until a dough is formed. Place dough on a sheet of plastic wrap, and roll into a log, about 2 1/2-inches in diameter. Tightly twist each end of wrap, and chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes.

* Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

* Slice the log into 1/3-inch thick disks. Place on parchment or silpat lined baking sheets, 2 inches apart (2 probably needed depending on size of sheets). Bake until the edges are just brown, about 12 minutes. Let cool on sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks and cool to room temperature.