Hainanese chicken and green tea

Alcohol-free drinks are sometimes overlooked as an accompaniment to food but tea, in particular, can be a good pairing and may be an unexpectedly good option for those of you who are doing dry January.

I’d ordered in the chicken from a local Bristol street food stall called fatrice as they were offering a special of Hainanese chicken rice, a delicate dish of poached chicken and rice given a kick with a drizzle of chilli sauce.

I was intending to have it for supper but it looked and smelled so appetising when it arrived at I o’clock that I couldn’t resist having it for lunch and decided to brew up a mug of Jing Tea’s intensely fragrant Dragon Well Single Garden green tea with it which went perfectly.

Challenged by Jing, who sent me some tea samples I’ve been making loose leaf tea once a day during January and must admit it’s absolutely transformed my attitude to tea. Up to now I've lazily tended to fall back on tea bags, but using loose leaves - and enough of them - is a game changer. I’ve tried it before at various times but the tea-ière (like a small cafetière) they provided me with is so easy to use that the habit’s sticking. (Sounds like an ad doesn’t it but this ISN’T a sponsored post!)

And if you want to make Hainanese chicken yourself there’s a recipe here

Pear and chai cake and green jasmine tea

I’ve been rediscovering tea pairing with food lately and this was a standout match at my local self-styled modern tearoom Lahloo Pantry in Bristol. It was a simple pound cake topped with spicy pears* cooked in chai syrup with the company's own green jasmine tea.

I keep struggling with green tea which I feel I ought to like more (so healthy!) and have up to now found jasmine tea just a little too cloyingly scented but this particular combination of the two is brilliant. The green tea balances the sometimes overwhelming aroma and taste of the jasmine. The sweetness of the jasmine offsets the slight bitterness of the tea though if you brew it at the correct temperature (around 70° I seem to recall) it shouldn’t be bitter anyway.

Brewing at that temperature makes it a warm rather than a hot drink which actually suits food better. The reason this pairing worked was that the cake wasn't too sweet and the touch of spice in the pears made a lovely contrast. I can imagine drinking it with a mildly spiced chicken salad and other gently spiced savoury Asian dishes too.

* Kate Gover who runs Lahloo says they might blog the recipe soon. I'll link to it if they do!

Sushi and Genmaicha (Japanese green tea with roasted rice)

To the incomprehension of my husband who can’t see the point in raw fish, I adore sushi and try to eat it at least once a week - usually with one of my daughters who are both big sushi fans.

Normally I accompany it with green tea but I’ve just discovered this totally addictive organic roasted rice tea called Genmaicha made by Clearspring which matches even better - the faint sesame nuttiness of the rice offsetting the slight fattiness of the fish and the delicate sweetness of the rice.

It needs to be served cooler than we typically drink tea in Britain but don’t let it steep or you’ll lose its delicate flavours. I make it double the strength and then take out the teabags after a minute and let the tea cool for about 10 minutes.

Another good pairing, which I enjoyed at the weekend with daughter no. 2, is a crisp Japanese lager such as Kirin which also pairs brilliantly with tempura. Beer and batter being great bedfellows.