A Word From The Other Parsimonious Chef...: Tea For Two & Two For Tea Infused Rice… Asia Inspired Surf & Turf - Grilled Skirt Steak & Shrimp with Jasmine Tea Infused Sushi Rice…….

Grilled Skirt Steak & Prawns With Jasmine Tea Infused Rice

If you read the entry "A Few of My Favorite Things" then you know that I am a huge fan of plays and musicals. That being said it should be no surprise that I have dedicated yet another title to that of a popular musical, Tea for Two. Tea For Two - Doris Day

Some may not be aware that this movie was actually based on the play "No, No Nannette" which made its' debut in 1925 while the Doris Day film "Tea For Two" came out 25 years later. The Movie got its' name from a song of the same title in the production that is essentially love song about the hopes and dreams of a woman and her potential man. Be sure to check listen to the words of the song and check out the movie. It's no "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" but it's a classic for sure, but I digress.

I decided to focus on Asian flavors for this post so of course rice came immediately to mind, but in my need to make it just a bit different I choose to use tea instead of water not only to cook the rice but to add flavor as well. As we all should know Tea is the one of the most consumed beverages in the world and extremely popular in Middle Eastern and Asian countries, so it only seemed natural to inject this into the menu for today.

On the menu today: Grilled Skirt Steak & Prawns with Jasmine Tea Infused Sushi Rice & Veggies.

Asia Inspired Surf & Turn

The Jasmine tea adds a slightly floral note to the rice that has a subtle but noticeable flavor to this dish that seems to balance the sodium and spice already present with the other added ingredients.

For the Tea Infused Rice we will need:

Jasmine Tea (1 bag)
Sushi Rice (See Label)
Dried Seaweed (3 sheets)
Water ( See Label)
Kosher Salt (T T)
Sugar (1 tsp)

Tea Infused Rice

Take the water and make jasmine tea, allowing it to cool down use the tea to make the rice adding salt and sugar to the tea to taste (it should taste of salty tea not sweet tea).

Wok Sautéed Red Cabbage

Wok Sautéed Asparagus

Wok Sautéed Corn

For the Wok Fried Veggies we will need:

Corn (4-5 Cups)
Asparagus (3 #)
Garlic (1 Tbs)
Red Cabbage (.50 Head)
Kosher Salt (TT)
Olive Oil (2 Tbs)
Butter (1 Tbs)
Paprika (TT)
Chili Flake (1 Tbs)
White Wine (.25 Cups)

Start by cutting the cabbage into strips, the asparagus into 2 inch strips and cutting the corn off of the cob. Start with the cabbage, sauté by adding the cabbage to the wok first and removing once done. Add the minced garlic to the wok once the oil heats to allow it to brown then add the asparagus. Once the asparagus has cooked for 3 minutes add the white wind and cover for 1 minute and remove. Finally, add the corn to the heated wok with butter, paprika and chili flake until the corn is browned slightly.

Grilled Steak

Resting before slicing

For the Skirt Steak we will need :

Skirt Steak (1 feeds 2-3)
Garlic (1 Tbs)
Ginger (1 tsp)
Green Onions (.50 cup)
Olive Oil (3 Tbs)
Soy Sauce (.25 cup)
Dijon Mustard (1 Tbs)

Make the marinade by mincing the garlic, ginger and green onions and combining with the soy and mustard. Marinade the steak for 30 minutes to 3 hrs, you can marinade overnight but skirt steak is fairly thin and marinates quickly, keep in mind that marinating is to enhance both texture and taste but you still want your steak to taste like steak. Place on a heated grill for 4-5 minutes per side and remove. Allow the steak to sit for 3 minutes before carving or slicing.

Prawns

For the Prawns we will need:

Prawns (2-3 pp)
Garlic (1 tsp)
Soy Sauce (3 Tbs)
Lemon / Lime Juice (1 tsp)
Olive Oil (1 Tbs)
Rice Vinegar (1 tsp)

Make the marinade by mincing the garlic and combining the ingredients with the peeled (to the tail) and deveined prawns for no longer than 45 minutes. Grill for 2 minutes per side or until done.

Plate as seen below or however you choose just be as creative as you care to.....