Mediterranean Mandarin Tea Infused Marbled Eggs

LANTERN / YUANXIAO FESTIVAL

Mediterranean Mandarin Tea Infused Marbled Eggs

Serves 12

Easy to make, this is an alternative to hard-cooked eggs served with afternoon tea and during Easter.

Ingredients

12 large eggs 12g t-Series Dilmah Mediterranean Mandarin Tea 1 tsp wolfberries, soaked in water for at least 5 minutes 1 small piece, Chinese Angelica Root or dang gui (Angelica sinensis) 2 cinnamon sticks 2 whole star anise 6 cloves 6 peppercorns, lightly bruised 100ml light soy sauce 1 tsp sugar 1 tsp salt 8 cups of water

Method

1 Place eggs in a large pan, in a single layer, with enough cold water to cover the eggs.

2 Bring to a boil (about 2 minutes), turn off the heat and cover with lid for 7 minutes.

3 Remove and place under cool running water for 5 minutes.

4 Drain and gently crack the eggshells all over by rolling them over a paper towel or using the back of a spoon. Ensure the exterior of the eggs form even cracks but be careful to leave the entire shell still intact.

5 In a large pot, add the remaining ingredients (tea, wolfberries, Chinese Angelica Root, cinnamon, star anise, cloves, peppercorns, soy sauce, sugar, salt and water) and bring to a boil.

6 Arrange the eggs to occupy one layer in the pot. Simmer for about 2-3 hours.

7 Allow to cool. Drain and remove shells from the eggs.

Tea Pairing

t-Series Green Tea with Jasmine Flowers t-Series Green Tea with Jasmine Flowers creates a visual contrast to the brown tones of the egg. The tea aromas of hay and floral attributes of jasmine blossoms have mild but pronounced flavours, making it a good partner for the textures and tastes of the dish. t-Series Mediterranean Mandarin Tea Not only are the flavours of the tea reproduced in the dish, the aromatic juicy sweetness of the tea will complement the dish as well.

The signature dish synonymous with the Dragon Boat Festival is the zongzi – a steamed dumpling of glutinous rice with various fillings, wrapped in bamboo, lotus or reed leaves. Each region prepares zongzi with its own style of fillings and shapes. The Guangxi zongzi is pillow shaped, in Beijing zongzi is rectangular, the Cantonese zongzi has a flat bottom and the tetahedron shape is common in many other regions.

The Canton/Guangdong style of zongzi comes in sweet and savoury versions, with fillings ranging from walnuts and dates to pork, Chinese ham and egg yolks. Hakka style zongzi contains boiled peanuts, soy-infused mushrooms, fried shallots, pressed beancurd, and often, a precious salted duck egg yolk. Shanghai zongzi’s may be vegetarian and feature beans and mushrooms, whilst Beijing zongzi are often filled with jujubes. Malaysian, Singaporean, Korean, Vietnamese, Thai, Cambodian and Filipino dumplings complete the amazing list of dumplings around Asia. Whatever the origin, zongzi are always fragrant, delicious and memorable.

DRAGON BOAT / DUANWU FESTIVAL

Fujian Soda / Lye Zongzi with Red Bean Paste

Makes 12 zongzi

Alkaline water (potassium carbonate and sodium bi-carbonate) turns the glutinous rice into an attractive warm yellow colour. This vegan zongzi is served plain with sugar, honey or syrup. It can also be filled with sweet paste (lotus or red bean).

Ingredients

650g or 3 cups glutinous rice 2 tbsp lye/alkaline water 1,1/2 tbsp cooking oil 400g red bean paste 1 tbsp salt 28 dried bamboo leaves, soaked overnight Kitchen twine

Method

1 Soak the glutinous rice in five cups of water overnight.

2 Drain thoroughly and then mix with cooking oil and lye. The rice should turn yellow. Set aside.

3 Divide the bean paste into 12 portions of 30g.

4 Blanch the bamboo leaves in boiling water until soft (about 10 minutes).

5 To assemble the zongzi, form a cone using 2 bamboo leaves, placing one on top of another and fold into a cone.

6 Place 1 tablespoon of rice into the cone. Make a small well, then place one portion of red bean paste in it. Cover with 1,1/2 tablespoons of rice. Pack all ingredients lightly, and smoothen the top with a clean wet spoon.

7 Complete the wrapping and secure with kitchen twine.

8 Cook submerged in boiling water for 4-5 hours.

9 Remove the zongzi from the water and let it cool to room temperature before serving plain or with some sugar/syrup.

A note on Zongzi Often glutinous rice is used for making zongzi. To wrap the zongzi, take two bamboo leaves and overlap them lengthwise, head to tail. Curl the base in toward itself to create a cone at the bottom of the leaf. The water should be boiling before the zongzi is placed in the pot. Ensure that the zongzi are completely submerged in the boiling water – top up the water if it runs low.

To prevent savoury dumplings from sticking to the leaf wrappers, stir-fry the rice with a little oil prior to use. Cooked zongzi should be hung up to cool and air-dried. They can be stored chilled in the refrigerator or frozen. Zongzi are best reheated in a steamer.

Tea Pairing

t-Series Single Estate Oolong Tea The inherent quality of this tea with its linseed oil and straw bale aromas is unique and incredibly attractive. It contrasts the flavour of the zongzi, filled or unfilled. The weight and sticky texture of the zongzi is made all the more apparent with this tea, creating a complex liaison. t-Series Green Tea with Jasmine Flowers With its sweet smelling jasmine flowers and green tea fragrance, the t-Series Green Tea with Jasmine enhances the flavours of the zongzi, especially when it contains sweet bean paste. The medium light texture of the tea also highlights the sticky rice.

DRAGON BOAT / DUANWU FESTIVAL

Fujian Chestnut & Meat Zongzi

Makes 10 zongzi

Ingredients

650g or 3 cups glutinous rice, soaked overnight and drained 28 dried bamboo leaves, soaked overnight Kitchen twine

Filling 20g Chinese mushroom, rehydrated and diced 80g chestnut, cooked until soft and diced 150g pork belly, cooked and diced 20g minced shallot 10g minced garlic 1 tbsp pepper 1 tsp salt 1 tbsp soy sauce 1 tsp sesame oil

Method

1 Blanch the bamboo leaves in boiling water until soft (about 10 minutes).

2 Heat some oil and stir-fry the shallots and garlic till fragrant. Add the mushroom, chestnut and pork belly. Season with the pepper, salt, soy sauce and sesame oil. Divide into 10 portions.

3 To assemble the zongzi, form a cone using 2 bamboo leaves, placing one on top of the other and folding into a cone. Place 2 tablespoons of rice inside, add one portion of the meat filling and cover with another 2 tablespoons of rice. Pack all ingredients lightly. Smooth the top with a clean wet spoon.

4 Complete the wrapping and secure the rice package with kitchen twine.

5 Cook submerged in boiling water for 4-5 hours.

Tea Pairing

This dish has integrated flavours of umami (soy and mushrooms) and calls for a vibrant tea to create an interesting foil for the dish.

t-Series Sencha Green Extra Special Tea Sencha Green Extra Special Tea is vegetative (leafy, fresh peas, cut grass) but with an attractive scent and flavour. Inherent in the tea are macadamia and other nut overtones that find a liaison with the chestnuts in the zongzi. The tea also has a cleansing effect in the mouth, given the rich oily texture of the zongzi. t-Series Single Estate Assam Tea Single Estate Assam Tea is robust with a malty earthiness and will match well with the meaty-mushroomnutty taste of this dish.

DRAGON BOAT / DUANWU FESTIVAL

Cantonese Pork & Egg Zongzi

Makes 10 zongzi

Ingredients

650g or 3 cups glutinous rice, soaked overnight and drained 25 dried bamboo leaves, soaked overnight Kitchen twine

Filling 350g pork belly, diced 150ml soy sauce 8 tbsp oyster sauce 3 tbsp Shaoxing wine 3 tbsp sesame oil Sugar, salt and pepper

Additional Ingredients 1 preserved Chinese sausage, sliced thinly 1/2 cup dried shrimp 12 sea salt duck egg yolks, cooked

Method

1 Blanch the bamboo leaves in boiling water until soft (about 10 minutes).

2 In a bowl, marinate the pork belly with 100ml soy sauce, oyster sauce, Shaoxing wine, sesame oil and season with sugar, pepper and salt. Divide into 10 portions.

3 Place rice in a bowl and to it, add 50ml soy sauce.

4 To assemble the zongzi, form a cone using 2 bamboo leaves, placing one on top of another and fold into a cone. Place 2 tablespoons of rice inside, add one portion of the filling, including several slices of Chinese sausage, some dried shrimp and 1 egg yolk. Cover with 2 tablespoons of rice. Pack all ingredients lightly. Smooth the top with a clean wet spoon.

5 Complete the wrapping and secure the rice package with kitchen twine.

6 Cook submerged in boiling water for 4-5 hours.

Tea Pairing

t-Series Single Estate Oolong Leaf Tea Straddling the two worlds of green and black tea, this oolong tea with mild flavours of green herbs, earth and peat complements the complex flavours of meat and seafood in the zongzi. t-Series Brilliant Breakfast Tea The t-Series Brilliant Breakfast Tea offers an interesting alternative. It has enough weight and character to handle the meat-seafood filling, and its bold nature and woody tannins help lift the flavours of the dish.