During this festive season, one other thing I enjoyed apart from the food and kuih is the visit from relatives and friends. I like sitting around and listening to my parents conversation, as well as answering the few standard questions from all relatives; study or work and single or married. I also enjoy sitting around listening to the folks reminiscing old times. I love serving them what I baked and brewing them nice coffee or tea.
Tea is one of the most consumed drink in the world. Being a big fan of tea myself, any tea is enjoyable and when tea is delicately crafted, I take pleasure in the use of ingredients in my cup of tea. One of which that I enjoyed very much in the New Year so far is the Prosperity Bloom served at the Si Chuan Dou Hua Restaurant in Park Royal KL. I manage to replicate it and make a few amendments to the recipe accordingly to my preference.
Of course the temperature of water in tea brewing ultimately comes down to personal tastes. Most tea can be ruined by water that is too hot but what I learned from this blend, it is an advantage to have very hot boiling water. Since the biggest portion of tea is Tisanes (herbal tea), infusion method suits this mixture. How about trying this out for your guests this CNY?
This recipe serves 2 pax and you can enjoy this at anytime of the day.
Ingredients:
Fresh hot water
Goji berry
Red dates
Dried longan
Chrysanthemum buds
Jasmine buds
Chinese Tea leaf
Method:
Gather all ingredients and pour approximately 500ml fresh boiled water and let the aroma and flavours of each ingredient infuse for approximately 15 minutes before serving. Avoid using reboiled water and if possible keep temperature at 85-96oc.
If you like a thicker tea, don’t steep it long. Instead double the portion of ingredients. So how about some nice tea instead of carbonated drinks this festive season? Happy Chinese New Year all!
Click here for more photos on flikr.