At some point in our education, the gradual drip drip of British custom begins, until we gain a fairly decent sense of what they like over there. Years of Shakespeare, Dickens, Thackeray, a ton of poets, movie versions of every imaginable novel, The King’s Speech, The Pink Panther, Prime Suspect, Sherlock Holmes, Agatha Christie, etc.; it’s impossible to avoid.
Things I’ve learned: they like mincemeat and a variety of filled pies; pubs and ale; roasts and royalty; gossip and tabloids; and above all, a restful snack of tea and cookies. Feel free to correct. I may be a few centuries behind. For instance, I left out soccer (football).
The tea thing has never caught on here, though I wish it had. It seems such a civilized routine: parlors and tea trays, silver pots, and fanned out little cookies. We do, however, and especially of late, cook with tea. Tea is used to smoke game, infuse ice creams, marinate meats, and so on. There even used to be an all tea restaurant near us on West Broadway. Until it closed.
We just don’t have a tea culture. Tea leaves can fall from trees and into the stew pot, but until we drink the stuff with a side of biscuits, it’ll sit in the spice drawer to be pulled out for occasional use.
The East has an even more deeply tea-infused tradition. For starters, they actually grow the stuff. We’re on the edge of Chinatown, which has tons of tea shops. These places are like little jewelry stores, selling dozens of different kinds of tea in glass canisters, the leaves colored shades of green, brown, and night black.
Impressive stuff, but yet again I return to Sushi Yasuda, a place where all roads end (see our previous post). In addition to the sob-inducing sushi (see New York Times review), Yasuda serves little gem-like appetizers and desserts. Whoever prepares the simple but insanely fresh fruit plate must hold an honored place in the kitchen. As well as the thin, crisp, skewered shrimp tempura dusted with green tea and sea salt. Both tea and salt hit just the right notes, transforming excellent shrimp tempura into something just a little better.
I do wish I spent a few minutes a day, my finger curled through the handle of a cup of hot English tea, nibbling on an appropriately modest biscuit. But I’d rather conclude the day with a small plate of Yasuda green tea shrimp.
(NOTE: This is a basic tempura recipe. The shrimp would be good with or without the tea. While shrimp is the undisputed king of all tempuras, vegetable tempuras can also be very tasty. Thin slices of pumpkin or butternut squash work best, as far as we’re concerned. Also, the tea is fairly mild, so you can be generous. Soy sauce to dip optional.)
Green Tea Shrimp Tempura
(Serves 4 as an hors d’oeuvre)
8 shrimp (about 3 oz each), peeled, deveined, tail on
1 egg yolk
1 cup flour
1 cup ice water
oil for frying
green tea powder
sea salt
soy sauce (optional)
- Insert a long wooden skewer through a shrimp starting with the tail end, so that the shrimp is straight. Repeat and reserve.
- Place a medium pot with 3 or 4 inches of oil over medium high heat. In a large bowl whisk the egg, flour, and water until smooth.
- When the oil is hot (about 350), dip the shrimp into the batter, letting excess drip back into the bowl. Dip into the hot oil until browned, about 1-1 ½ minutes. Remove, dust with tea and salt and serve with a dish of soy sauce if desired.
