02 Feb

Party Jollof Rice With Tea

blog, Recipes

Party Jollof Rice With Tea

We created Party Jollof Rice With Tea! Jollof rice has been enjoyed over many years in West Africa. A stable dish eaten with meat or vegetables regularly at mealtimes. A traditional dish that instantly reminds you of home, especially if you ate this delicious dish as a child. There are many different versions of how to make a tasty Jollof fried rice and the results, when cooked well, is simply mouth-watering leaving you wanting more. Party Jollof Rice is the smoky version of Jollof Rice. Traditionally the smokiness comes from cooking jollof rice over firewood in a large pot. But what if you just do not have the time to get the wood fired BBQ going in the garden, and yet you really want to serve Party Jollof Fried Rice for family and friends?

It is both simple and easy to make, without needing to BBQ outside, and yet the result is tasty Party Jollof Fried Rice, prepared and cooked in no time at all. By using Organic Lapsang Souchong tea and vegetables roasted in the oven, this combination together provides the exquisite smokiness that party jollof rice is well known for. Organic Lapsang Souchong well known as a smoky tea, its black tea leaves may be smoke-dried over a pinewood fire. The flavour and aroma of the tea is that of wood smoked. Roasting vegetables in the oven brings out their own smoky flavour and aroma. Therefore, as the recipe shows below, combining Organic Lapsang Souchong tea and oven roasted vegetables adds the wood fired flavour we need for party jollof rice and tea.

The recipe is further simplified in using ingredients that you may already have in your kitchen. These ingredients you can use in many other dishes, reducing any waste, especially if you need to buy extra ingredients for this recipe. We believe in keeping things simple, reducing waste and enjoying the good things in life.

So, let’s get the party started and start cooking…

Time duration

Preparation: 20mins

Or the time it takes for you to enjoy a cup of tea whilst reading pages from your favourite book

Cooking: 50mins

Similar to length of a lunch break enjoying a cup of your favourite tea

Steeping: Up to 6mins, leave longer to intensify the flavour

Eating: Serve hot with a dab of butter as soon as your guests arrive to the party!

Storing: Can be eaten cold the following day. Although it won’t last past the first day. It tastes so good your guests will be asking for more.

Main ingredients

Ingredients

Core ingredients for roasting

4 medium sized tomatoes chopped to 1-2cm chunks

1 red pepper de-seeded and chopped in 1-2cm chunks

1-2 fresh chillies or scotch bonnet peppers chopped roughly in large pieces or leave whole

For me, scotch bonnets were difficult to get hold of so I used what I had already, chillies, and they worked a treat.

1 white or red onion chopped in 1-2cm chunks

If using red onion this will add a little natural sweetness to the dish.

Tea infused stock and tomato paste

1 vegetable stock cube

4 g or handful Teabury Organic Lapsang Souchong Loose leaf Tea

4 tblspn tomato paste

Spices and herbs for frying

1-2 tblspn vegetable or rapeseed oil

I used rapeseed

2 tblspn butter

1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and chopped finely

3 cloves fresh garlic, peeled and chopped finely

1 tspn each of ground ginger and ground garlic works just as well

Spice and herbs mix

2 tspn curry powder

You can use Caribbean or Jamaican curry powder. I used regular Indian curry powder and added extra spices

1 tspn ground turmeric

1 tspn ground nutmeg

1 tspn ground paprika

I used smoked paprika for extra smokiness. Unsmoked paprika works just as well

1 tspn ground cinnamon

Adds that extra natural sweetness that is found in some Caribbean or Jamaican curry powder

1 tspn dried thyme

1 tspn dried oregano

You can use fresh herbs to intensify the flavour, roughly chop half handful of each

Party jollof rice would not be right without rice ingredients!

250g long grain rice

Washed thoroughly using sieve under cold running water. I used basmati white rice

1 dried bay leaf

1 tblspn or dab of butter spooning through hot rice just before serving

Seasoning and garnish

Pinch white or black pepper to taste

I used my own ‘colourful’ ground pepper, I throw a handful of whatever peppercorns I have at the time in my pepper grinder and it works each time. I have selection of green, white, red, black peppercorns. Using just black ground pepper also works just fine.

Pinch ground or crystal salt to taste

1 medium tomato chopped approx. 1cm cubes

1 medium red onion thinly sliced

1 tblspn or dab of butter

Let’s get cooking

Step 1 : Roasting core ingredients

Put on the oven 200deg C, fan assisted 180deg C
Place chopped tomatoes, onion, red pepper on baking tray, lightly drizzle with vegetable or rapeseed oil. Sprinkle with salt
Place in hot over top shelf for roasting, 20mins until all are roasted beautifully, ends turn slight brown colour

Roasted vegetables

Meanwhile,

Step 2 : Infusing stock with tea and tomato paste

Boil kettle.
Steep Teabury Organic Lapsang Souchong tea in teapot or infuser of hot water (enough for 1 mug of tea), approx.. 300ml. Leave to stand for 6-8 minutes
Once tea is ready, strain in large bowl and add the vegetable stock cube to hot tea
Stir in the tomato puree, mix well
Leave to stand to allow all the flavours to infuse together

Step 3 : Blend roasted core ingredients

Remove roasted core ingredients from oven and leave to part cool, approx. 20mins.
Once part cooled, add chillies and blend together in blender to a smooth puree mixture.
Leave to one side.

Step 4 : Fry together the spices

Add oil and small knob of butter to large pan and allow to get hot.
Add ginger, garlic and fry for about 1 min, until slightly browned
Add spice and herb mix to pan and fry for further 1-2mins only, reduce heat if frying happens too quickly

Note : If using dry garlic and ginger, add these with the spice and herb mix together, at step 13) and fry all together for 1-2mins, reduce heat if frying happens too quickly.

Step 5 : Ready the Party Jollof Rice

Add the blended roasted core ingredient mix together with the fried spices and herbs in pan
Add the stock infused tea and tomato paste to pan.
Pour in the pre washed rice and make sure liquid mixture covers over the top of the rice – if not then add more hot water from kettle

16) Add dried bay leaf

17) Stir and bring to boil

18) Cover pot with foil paper to allow rice to steam cook without needing to add any water, place lid on top.

Note if using just the lid without the foil, water will gradually reduce.

19) Steam cook for 20mins on very low heat.

Rice cooking in blended vegetables, spices, herbs and tea mixture

20) Once cooked and fluffy, turn off heat. Season and garnish with salt and pepper to taste, add fresh chopped tomato, sliced red onion and a dab of butter.

21) Place foil paper back directly on top of the rice this time and leave for another 10mins, with heat still turned off.

Cooked rice without the garnish

Step 6) Serving suggestions

21) Serve hot

22) Serve on it’s own with a delicious side salad

23) Serve with meat or fish cooked, see Teabury tea infused meat and fish recipes for some ideas

24) Serve with warm pitta or wraps, filled with a salad, cooked black beans or shredded chicken, drizzle of mayonnaise or dressing of your choice

Teabury Party Jollof Rice With Tea is not just for parties, it can be enjoyed any day of the week, lunch or evening.

Party Jollof Rice With Tea

Questions and answers

Want fluffy Party Jollof?

Don’t crowd it! Meaning, give your Party Jollof Rice room in the pot to fry, if overcrowded it will simply steam, making it less fluffy. So use a medium to large pot, this will allow room to fry and your rice will fluff beautifully.

Why is my Party Jollof tasting bitter?

Go easy on the bay leaf. If in doubt just use one bay leaf. This should do the trick.

Why is my Party Jollof not spicey?

Just add more spices to your Party Jollof. If you prefer more spice, add more… gradually to taste.

What gives Party Jollof Rice it’s beautiful colour?

Combination of red pepper, tomatoes, scotch bonnet (if you are using these in place of chillies) and of course turmeric gives Party Jollof its distinctive beautiful colour.

Jollof Wars

The only ‘Jollof Wars’ we debate about is whether BBQ’ed Jollof Rice or our Party Jollof Rice With Tea made with Organic Lapsang Souchong is the best? And each time, we have found there is no party without Teabury Party Jollof Rice With Tea. What do you say? We would love to hear your ‘Jollof War’ stories, just send us a comment to info@teabury.com

Happy party jollof!

Happy sipping!

Shop Teabury organic black loose leaf tea here.

27 Jan

Adding Salt to Tea

blog

Adding Salt to Tea – what do you think?

Tea made news again this week and started debate on whether adding salt to tea makes a good cup of tea.

US scientist Professor Michelle Francl explained that adding salt to tea it acts as a blocker to the receptor which makes tea taste bitter, especially when it has been stewed. By adding just a pinch of table salt, an amount you cannot taste in the tea, will counteract the bitterness of the drink.

Professor Michelle Francl, has documented her research in her new book Steeped: The Chemistry of Tea, published by the Royal Society of Chemistry.

Testing the science of adding salt to tea

At Teabury we know we can make a good cup of tea. The science behind salt and tea intrigued us so we gave it a try.

We steeped Teabury Organic North English Breakfast tea, loose leaf in hot water for 6-8mins. A longer time period than we normally would have used. We wanted the bitterness of the tea to come through using the longer steep time.
We added a little milk.
We then poured half the tea in to a separate cup.
We added a tiny pinch of salt to one of the cups with tea.
We then tasted both teas, one with salt and one without.

Upon tasting both teas we found the cup of tea with salt, a very slight hint of it being less bitter than the cup of tea without salt. The taste of the tea was altered a little bit when adding salt, however near to it being unnoticed. Did it make it a better tasting tea by adding salt?

Not over steeping tea in the first place, using loose leaf, adding minimal to none additional flavours is often the best way to have a good and proper cup of tea. We may not be suggesting adding salt to your tea any time soon, but we enjoyed doing the test, love talking about tea, as well as drinking tea.

Microwaving tea was also mentioned in the debate, which we are definitely not a fan of!

To do the salt in tea test.

Shop our Organic North English Breakfast tea and try it with salt following instructions above. We love to hear your views, just send to info@teabury.com

23 Jan

Marble Tea Egg

Recipes

Marble Tea Egg

Sometimes the simple things like the Marble Tea Egg are the easiest to make, most beautiful to look at and delicious in taste. I was introduced to marble eggs when ordering a Chinese meal in UK, received by complete surprise just by the look of the egg, very unusual and beautiful, yet was disappointed with the taste when I took my first bite, it tasted just like a hard-boiled egg!

My disappointment got me thinking, why go to the trouble of making such a beautiful looking egg only to be let down by it’s ordinariness of taste. Please do not get me wrong, I love hard-boiled eggs, especially for breakfast in the morning with a slice of wholegrain toast, or for a good hearty brunch made up of slice of bread and a big handful of mixed salad, or even for a quick afternoon snack, grabbed straight from the fridge eaten on it’s own. When biting in to my first marble egg experience, it got me thinking, could I produce a beautiful looking egg with the taste that is so much more than if I had simply boiled the egg in water for 6-8mins?

Making my own Marble Tea Egg

That’s when I started my journey in making a Teabury Marble Tea Egg and I am very happy with the results. Not only do the eggs look spectacular but they taste so great too. They have become a regular feature in our kitchen and fridge. I hope you enjoy cooking them just as much as me. To follow the recipe scroll down the page.

Traditionally, tea egg is a Chinese savoury sold as street food, at local markets and served in restaurants. Associated with Chinese cooking, it is also recognised in different variations throughout Asia. Once you learn how to cook a tea egg, it will be very easy to understand the eggs were originally cooked this way to help preserve them for longer.

Overall technique is simple, the boiled egg is slightly cracked then boiled again in tea infused with spices and a rich sauce. The marble effect comes from the tea mixture seeping into the cracks of the egg’s shell to create darkened lines mirroring beautiful marble-like patterns. No two tea eggs will ever be the same in it’s marble-like pattern, just like human finger prints, or patterns of a zebra – no two are the same!

Marble tea egg, Chinese tea egg

How to cook Teabury Marble Tea Egg. Let’s get started…

Time duration

Preparation: 3mins

Or the time it takes for you to boil a kettle for a cup of tea

Cooking: 30mins

Or the time it takes you to enjoy a cup of your favourite tea during a 30mins lunch break

Steeping: Up to 2hrs, leave longer to intensify the flavour

Or the time it takes to enjoy a leisurely ‘afternoon tea’.

Eating: As soon as they are cooled!

My favourite part of instructions – consumed in minutes as a snack any time of the day.

Or enjoy the flavour for longer when using tea egg as part of a rice or noodle dish. Or served as part of breakfast, brunch or at lunchtime.

Storing: Up to 3-5 days in an airtight container in the fridge, I use glass or pottery containers.

In my house they never last beyond the 2^nd day!

Ingredients

4-6 medium sized eggs

For the tea stock…

10g or generous handful of Teabury Organic Traditional North Indian Cha Loose Leaf Tea

Select here to order your Organic Traditional North Indian Cha

1 cinnamon stick

1-2 star anise (add 2 to intensify flavour)

1-2 pinch anise seed (add 2 to intensify flavour)

1 tspn salt

1 tspn sugar – I like using brown sugar but white sugar works just as well

2 tbsp dark soya

2 tbsp light soya

3 big teacups of water, approx. 750ml – you may need more if water evaporates too quickly during simmering. Be mindful to keep water level above eggs so that they are covered completely when simmering and steeping.

There are many benefits to Indian Cha or well known Indian Chai, please click here to read more.

Be adventurous…

Caffeine free tea

In place of Teabury Organic Traditional North Indian Cha Loose Leaf Tea you can substitute for Teabury Organic Ruby Cha Loose Leaf Tea, which has a base tea known as Rooibos, originated from South Africa and is caffeine free. Organic Ruby Cha has a slight earthy and subtle smoky flavour infused with warm spices, which together steep into the marble egg, making it taste slightly smoky, salty with warm spices. Simply delicious!

Q. What other spices can be used? Be adventurous…

You can be as adventurous as you want by adding different spices to create your very unique taste and marble egg. Why not try additional flavours such as a few cloves of garlic, inch of ginger root (this is another one of my favourites with this snack), pinch chilli flakes (to add a little ‘kick’ to the egg).

Top tip : when adding your own range of spices – for the base flavours always use tea, soy, salt and sugar. After that, anything goes really! I’d love to hear about the flavours and spices you like to use, and how this tasted for you. Just share your pictures and stories on Instagram at teabury_ltd and leave a comment. We’d love to hear from you.

Q. I am too scared to crack the egg, in case I tap it too hard and break the shell completely.

You can also choose not to crack the eggs and still follow the recipe, leaving the cracking part out. The flavours will still steep into the egg, albeit maybe not so intense as a marble egg, however the end effect will still be stunning and the taste delicious.

Good tip! … After making your first batch of eggs, you can store the leftover cooled down tea stock in an airtight container with lid (any glass jar or pottery dish) store in the fridge and use it again to steep more eggs – just add water when re-using. For your third batch of eggs I would say, add half as many spices again to enhance the flavours so that they come through to the eggs when steeped. Each time you re-steep you will get different effects of marbling, and a unique taste! No two eggs are the same.

Marble tea egg, Chinese tea egg

The beauty of loose leaf tea – it can be re-steeped again and again! – as a guide upto 3 steeps for good quality loose leaf tea. This means you can boil and use your tea stock again!

Marinade for meats and fish

I love this recipe because the beauty of re-steeping tea means I can use it also for meats and fish and why not?! To find out more, see recipe and ideas, we will add more recipes soon.

20 Jan

Teas Good for Digestion and Gut Health

blog

Teas Good for Digestion and Gut Health

Enhancing Digestive Wellness

Herbal teas have a plethora of benefits for health and wellness. In this blog we zoom into their benefits for digestion, to help ease common symptoms such as stomach cramps and bloating, and to aid in a healthy and happy gut. We have 5 of our best herbal and green teas to help with digestion. Helping you better navigate your way through the endless choice of herbal and green infusions available.

Why are herbal teas good for digestion?

It’s important to note herbal and green teas aren’t a cure for digestive conditions and shouldn’t be used as substitutions for medications. However drinking organic flavourful infusions can be an effective and natural way to help soothe common digestive symptoms like stomach cramps, bloating and inflammation.

The magic is within the natural compounds found in herbal and green teas such as polyphenols and antioxidants, known to have several benefits for a healthy digestive system. At Teabury, we take a natural organic approach from the selection of our teas to the blending process, essentially keeping the goodness of compounds in. We also ensure any additional ingredients added are organic and natural, staying far away from artificial additives.

Now let’s take a look at some of the best herbal and green teas for digestion.

Top 5 herbal and green teas for digestion

Peppermint tea

Classic mint tea – a staple for many tea lovers which is refreshing and well-known for its ability to calm an upset stomach. Peppermint tea contains the compound menthol shown by many studies to have positive benefits for improving issues related to digestion.

If you’re the minty type, try our ‘Organic Settle a Full Tummy Tea’. It includes fennel which is also great for digestion.

Ginger tea

Obtained from a plant native to the continent of Asia, ginger is one of the most used spices in the world. Well known for its ability to help ease nausea however it is also a powerful anti-inflammatory and can help aid food digestion.

This zesty digestive health tea is a great drink to have after any meal just try our ‘Organic Lemony Ginger Tea‘.

Green tea

Green tea has a long list of health benefits – aiding in digestion is just one of them! It’s full of natural compounds such as polyphenols and antioxidants making it one of best herbal teas for gut health.

Green tea is a great one to have as a substitute for coffee due to its natural caffeine content. So, next time you’re looking for an afternoon pick-me-up, make yourself a cup of our energising ‘Organic Pearly’ or ‘Organic Rosy’ green tea before reaching for the coffee pot. Your gut will thank you for it!

Chamomile tea

Chamomile – a calming tea renowned for its ability to help with a good night’s sleep. While scientific research on its benefits for digestion is limited, it’s been used for generations to help promote digestive health. It can potentially help reduce the risk of certain gastrointestinal conditions including nausea and gas.

If you’re someone trying to improve your sleep cycle and also suffer from bloating, try a cup of our ‘Total Calm Chamomile Tea’. With option to add a little squeeze of lemon before bed.

Liquorice root

Liquorice goes back a long time. It’s one of the oldest herbal remedies around and it’s still widely used for its health benefits. Some studies have shown that liquorice root tea is great for digestion and gut health. It helps to relieve symptoms linked to indigestion such acid reflux, heartburn and stomach problems.

Liquorice root is a great choice for those guilty of adding many teaspoons of sugar in their normal tea. It has a natural sweetness of its own to help curve the craving without the need for any added sugars or sweeteners. It’s important to note liquorice root should be consumed in moderation as too much can lead to adverse health effects.

We recommend our ‘Organic Menopause Relief Tea’ which is blended with organic liquorice root.

How to use tea to help with digestion?

Herbal and green tea is a great natural remedy to help with digestion and keep your gut happy. Next time you are suffering from digestive symptoms like bloating or stomach cramps, try one of our digestive health teas. It might just do the trick!

Shop our full range of Organic Teas

06 Jan

Teabury Teas Latest Change

blog

Teabury Loose Leaf Tea

Latest Update

*** Due to increased costs to maintain Organic Certification, Teabury has decided to no longer be part of The Soil Association from July 2024. However we continue to work with our certified organic sources for all ingredients organic. We maintain high levels of standards as if we were still certified organic. ***

Tea is at the heart of Teabury because we believe we can live a healthy life in balance with nature. We like to keep things simple. Teabury teas are blended with natural ingredients, no artificial flavours are used, just as nature intended. Our teas are produced without chemicals.

Why we still believe in Organic teas?

Organic teas is important to Teabury, in that nature is respected. Organic farming is void of harmful chemicals such as; pesticides, herbicides and artificial fertilizers. This makes for a healthier option than the conventional non-organic grown teas. Organic farming is also better for the environment, maintaining healthy soils, ecosystem and people. Organic also supports sustainability and good for the planet.

Is drinking Organic teas better for us?

Yes, we believe it is. Organic teas contains more antioxidants, making it excellent for our health. Antioxidants have many benefits such as; boost our immune system, reduce risk of heart disease, prevent cancer, plus aids in fighting other diseases. In addition, great for the skin’s natural glow. Antioxidants benefit us inside and out.

Does Organic tea taste better for us?

Yes, we believe it does. Organic teas have higher quality leaves which result in a smoother and tastier tea with greater flavour.

Why not try a new English Breakfast tea, Teabury’s Organic North English Breakfast here

Why we chose The Soil Association?

Like Teabury, The Soils Association believes in building the same natural solutions together. Organic teas produced without chemicals, supporting a natural and heathy soils, ecosystem and people.

*** Due to increased costs to maintain Organic Certification, Teabury has decided to no longer be part of The Soil Association from July 2024. However we continue to work with our certified organic sources for all ingredients organic. We maintain high levels of standards as if we were still certified organic. ***

Who is The Soil Association?

The Soil Association is a worldwide recognised professional body that supports Organic in every way. Just a short extract from it’s website…

‘We support everyone to grow – whether that’s growing food, or by growing as people, developing healthy connections with nature and joining together with others to support a nature-friendly future.

Working together with farmers, businesses, policymakers and fellow citizens, our work has made an impact on the food you eat, the clothes you wear and the environment you live in.

Throughout our history, we’ve campaigned for change on a global scale. We’ve supported farming innovation. We’ve developed world-leading standards in order to protect the future health of our communities, animals, plants and environment.

We do this because we know we can make a world of difference.’

For further reading please visit the website

https://www.soilassociation.org/

Why Teabury also has the EU logo on it’s packaging?

Teabury sells in the EU, you will find that Teabury packaging used to include the green EU logo. The logo is compulsory and must be displayed, this maintains trust in foods and supports authorities.

For further reading please visit the following site

https://agriculture.ec.europa.eu/farming/organic-farming/organic-logo_en

Teabury logo

Organic Soil Association

EU logo