Tammy's Recipes

A medley of brown rice cooked in Golden Monkey tea, fried with onion, carrot, broccoli, and bits of egg, peas, and corn

3 cups water*
3 tablespoons Golden Monkey black tea leaves (dry)**
1 1/2 cups brown rice
1 stick butter, divided
1 medium onion, chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and grated
1/3 cup frozen corn
1/3 cup frozen green peas
2 cups chopped (bite-size) fresh broccoli florets
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon salt
black pepper, to taste

1. Heat water to nearly boiling. Add tea leaves and steep for 3-5 minutes. Strain leaves from tea. Put hot tea into a medium-size saucepan. Add rice, and then proceed to cook rice according to package instructions, subtracting 5 minutes from the suggested cooking time for your rice.***

2. Meanwhile, melt 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) of the butter in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and carrots, and cook and stir until onions are translucent and carrots are tender.

3. Add corn, peas, and broccoli, and continue cooking until vegetables are crisp-tender. Pour this vegetable mixture into a bowl and set aside.

4. Return skillet to heat, and melt remaining 1/2 stick of butter. Increase heat to medium-high, and add beaten egg. Cook and stir constantly until egg is fully cooked, breaking it into little bits as it cooks.

5. Add cooked rice to egg, reduce heat to medium, and cook for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

6. Sprinkle soy sauce, salt, and pepper. Add vegetables, and cook and stir until seasonings are evenly distributed and mixture is well-heated, about 5-10 minutes.

*You will want to look at the directions on your particular rice; use about 1/4 cup LESS water than suggested for 1 1/2 cups of (dry) rice (6 servings). For my brown rice, this meant 3 cups of water to 1 1/2 cup rice.

**You may substitute a similar black tea if you wish; be sure to use good-quality loose-leaf tea.

***This reduced cooking-time (along with the decrease in liquids, instructed above) will prevent your rice from becoming clumpy when it is fried later.

I created this recipe for the February 2007 Tea Chef contest hosted by Adagio.com.

This is a tasty meatless lunch or side dish. I love fried rice, and I especially enjoy the vegetables in this dish. The tea gives a subtle complementary flavor in addition to the butter, soy sauce, salt, and pepper. My rating: 10/10.