Match of the week

Hainanese chicken and green tea

Posted by Fiona Beckett (Google+) on January 18 2021 at 08:49

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

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