Your Cup of Tea: Mumbai chefs share flavourful recipes for the hot beverage this monsoon

While you stay indoors as it rains outside, give your homemade choice of teas a twist with new ingredients. Potfuls of oolong and flowery infusions should keep you satiated till you can pay a visit to your favourite café again

Monsoon has begun in the city and unlike most years when people are busy hopping, skipping and jumping over puddles to get to work, they have been cooped up at home since 2020.  It is only fair to assume that many miss hanging out with their friends and partners at cosy cafés. For others, even sipping on that classic ‘cutting chai’ at neighbourhood addas is impossible, as most are temporarily shut.

Interestingly, this time has also given people an opportunity to enter their kitchens and try their hands at making different kinds of dishes. Now, it is known that making tea is probably the most basic necessity and while it takes years to identify what your palate likes, it is also a good time now while most people are indoors to bring out the delicate teaware and experiment with warm new flavours. 

Mid-day.com asked city-based chefs to share their favourite tea recipes, which are beyond the usual, including fragrant blends such as rose or hibiscus. Here’s a chance to boil your own concoction to perfection — right down to the boiling temperature and steeping time. If you are in the mood to whip up a snack too, they have shared the perfect pairing to go with the brews now or for when you can visit the restaurants. 

Rose Oolong Tea at Out Of The Blue, Khar West

Rose Oolong Tea at Out Of The Blue, Khar West
Give your regular tea a skip and try making a version of the Oolong Tea, a traditional Chinese tea. Chef Juliano Rodrigues recommends adding a floral touch with the help of a rose-infused Oolong tea. He recommends pairing it with bruschettas, topped with ingredients of your choice to keep you company. 

Ingredients:
Rose Oolong Tea leaves - 1 tbsp or dried rose petals – ¼ tsp to 2 tsps of Oolong tea, boiling water (90 C) - 300 ml

Method:
1. Add the rose Oolong tea leaves or a mix of dried rose petals with Oolong tea to water. 
2. Steep the tea leaves in boiling water at approximately 90 degrees Celsius for 4 to 5 Minutes.
3. Strain and serve hot. 

Hibiscus Tea at Monér, Bistro & Dessert Bar, Bandra West 
If you are feeling a little indulgent and willing to go the extra mile, then Chef Freny Fernandes recommends the flavourful Hibiscus tea, which is popular at the restaurant. While you can pair it with any of your favourite snacks indoors, a warm cherry or plum pie is a perfect match at the dessert bar. 

Ingredients:
Hibiscus - 2-3 tbsps dried, water – 1 cup, ginger – 5 gms, cinnamon – 1 stick, honey – 1 tbsp 

Method:
1. Put the Hibiscus, cinnamon, ginger and honey into the water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. 
2. Let it steep for 20 minutes.
3. Strain, pour and serve.  

Vanilla Waltz at Celes Té

Vanilla Waltz at Celes Té
Anubha Jhawar, founder and tea sommelier at Celes Té recommends trying the Vanilla Waltz from the artisanal tea brand’s collection. However, if you want to experiment with it on your own, she shares the ingredients that could help you make a steaming cup at home. 

Ingredients: 
Oolong tea, dried strawberry, dried marigold, dried rose petals, vanilla essence, boiling water – 150 ml
(For one cup – all the ingredients should collectively be 2.5 gms) 

Method:
1. Add the Oolong tea, dried strawberry, dried marigold, dried rose petals and vanilla essence to 150 ml of water (for one cup).
2. Boil for 4-5 minutes at 80 to 90 degrees Celsius and let it settle. 
3. Strain, pour and serve. 

Also Read: Mumbai chefs share soul-warming steamed recipes to enjoy during the monsoon

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