Remember last summer, when I developed and posted a series of recipes incorporating tea as part of the Tazo Challenge? Although I didn’t win the challenge, two of my recipes have been featured as part of a “Cooking with Tea” feature that has been published in a bunch of newspapers across the country! (Seriously, check it out!)
Since it seemed appropriate to celebrate the articles with another tea recipe, I finally had a reason to experiment more with tea-infused broth — something I’ve been meaning to do since the very first time I used tea in a savory recipe. The flavors in this dish were actually inspired by an old Weight Watchers cookbook, but they were surprisingly bold. The floral notes of the Earl Grey tea balanced perfectly with the earthier mushrooms and smoke flavors, and the noodles were perfect for slurping. This simple dish is even better the next day, after the noodles and carrots have soaked up even more flavor.
I had no problem finding smoked turkey at my regular grocery store, but I’ve also seen smoked chickens in specialty butcher shops that would work just as well. In a pinch, a drop of liquid smoke in the broth would achieve a similar result.
Udon Noodles in Tea Broth with Smoked Turkey
Prep time: 10 min; Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4 servings
- 4 cups reduced sodium Chicken Stock
- 2 cups Water
- 1 Smoked Turkey Leg, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 3 Carrots, chopped
- 2 bunches (approx. 6 oz) Udon Noodles
- 3 slices Ginger
- 1 Garlic Clove, minced
- 1 package (8 oz) Shitake Mushrooms, sliced
- 1 bag Earl Grey Tea
- 1 dash low sodium Soy Sauce
- 1 bunch Bok Choy, chopped
- 3 Scallions, sliced
Add the stock, water, turkey, carrots, noodles, ginger, and garlic to a large pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
Add the mushrooms and tea bag. Simmer for 3 minutes. Remove and discard the tea bag and ginger. Stir in the soy sauce, bok choy and scallions and simmer an additional 5 minutes, or until noodles are cooked and vegetables are heated through.
To serve, use tongs to arrange the noodles and vegetables in individual bowls. Ladle the broth over top.
Dana says
This is so unique! I made tea smoked chicken once. It was great, but I ruined the pot I was using! Now I have a way to achieve a similar result without ruining anything! Thanks!