Gorgeous Tea Cups by Potter Steve Sanchez

Tea cup by Steve Sanchez

A very kind friend recently gave me these tea cups by artist Steve Sanchez.  I am blessed with generous and thoughtful friends!  Love these cups.  The wood firing makes the coloring and patterns so interesting! The thumb impression makes a nice hand hold, and also yields an asymmetrical form  (visual interest). These cups hold a nice amount of tea - not so much that the tea goes cold before I can drink it.  I also like the thickness of the rim.  Again, it's a balance of not too thick or thin.     

Look at the interesting pattern in the bottom of the cup. I believe this is a result of the wood firing.  It's golden and glittery and reminds me of tea leaves.

Functional artwork!

I have not (yet) had the pleasure to meet artist Steve Sanchez, but I am now a fan of his work and look forward to seeing more. Other works by this artist can be found at the Jasmine Pearl Tea Merchants.

Meatless Monday: Green Papaya Salad

Green Papaya Salad

Sometimes things just come together...
On Friday, I visited Pok Pok.  I'm ashamed to say it was my first time.  Ashamed because anyone who claims the Portland area as home speaks highly of our famous Thai "street foods" restaurant, now open in New York as well.  And I see why!  It's super delicious!  I had a green papaya salad, among other things.

And then on Saturday, I was at my local market (New Seasons) and they had green papaya in the produce section.  One came home.

On Sunday I made a vegan version of green papaya salad.  It's fantastic!  As good as what I had at Pok Pok, in my humble opinion.  What makes this vegan is the lack of shrimp and fish sauce.  Love it!  And the good news is that one fruit makes a lot of shredded papaya, enough for 2 or 3 batches.  That's great because we've already polished off the first one.

Here's my recipe, based on looking at several and interpreting what I had at Pok Pok.

Vegan Green Papaya Salad

The salad
* 2 cups shredded green papaya (I think you can find this pre-shredded in some Asian markets)
* 1/4 cup (or more) green beans, chopped into bite-sized pieces
* 1/4 cup (or more) shredded green cabbage
* 1/4 cup (or more) of shredded carrots
* A handful of cherry tomatoes, halved (I did not use these)
* 1-2 green onions, white and green parts, chopped
* 1 handful cilantro, chopped
* 1 Tbsp of dry roast peanuts, plus some for garnish
Toss together in a large bowl

The paste
* 2 cloves of garlic, minced
* 1 jalepeno pepper, seeds and pith removed, chopped fine
* 1 Tbsp of dry roast peanusts
 Crush in a mortar and pestle (or a bowl with wooden spoon) until you have a rough paste

The dressing

* 2 Tbsp of low sodium soy auce (or gluten-free tamari)

* The juice of 1 lime (3-4 teaspoons)

* 1/2 - 1 tsp of agave nectar, depending on your preference (you can use raw sugar, too)

Add the paste and toss into the salad

Enjoy!

I Was to Be Having Tea

I was to be having tea

But I was home with the flu

A little blue

I scowled at the banana

You call it ripe, I call it dead

Good for bread

Grapefruit ready

Tea to steep

I start to weep

But then I think

Do not dismay

Look at this day!

The sun is out

My head breathes free

And I have my tea

DIY Bangle Bracelets

While I was home for the holidays, I did a craft project with my niece, her friend, and their dolls.  :-)  Some grownups got to play, too.  We made bangle bracelets out of floral wire, wrapped in fabric.  Here are the directions.  My niece is 6 and if someone helped her with the wire and the ties, she was very capable of (and happy to) do her own fabric wrapping.

And we made some bracelets for the dolls.  ;-)  These were actually the hardest because the doll hands are inflexible.

I made a few for myself, too.  I found that using floral wire is easier than an old hanger as it's much more bendable.  The color combinations are endless.  Fat quarters work really well for this project, and it's a great scraps buster too!  Thanks to the folks who put out the tutorial!

Patience (for Me) and Patient Tea

Rustic teacup with pu-erh, waiting patiently for me to put down the camera

Patience is NOT my middle name.  But it is the name of this cup.  I procured it (from J-Tea International in Eugene, OR) nearly three years ago.  I haven't used it until this week.  The cup and I were patiently waiting for the right time and the right tea.  I've dedicated the cup to shou pu-erh.  The cup is a delight to hold.  It's textural and the glaze makes a very interesting shiny pattern.  Rocks are visible in the form, giving it a very earthy feeling.  

Over the years, I've been working on the patience thing.  While not my nature, it is something I'm trying to cultivate.  Tea is a good teacher.  Some teas are "patient" in that they do well when steeped multiple times.  They open themselves, give more, blossom.  Pu-erh teas and may oolongs tend to be very patient.  These teas ask me, "How do you respond when you are repeatedly 'steeped'?"  Do I get better with each trial?

Oh, tea, I am your student.

Tea 101: What is Sake?

Why am I talking about sake in a Tea 101 post?  Because it's relevant to tea!  When you are invited to a full Japanese Tea Ceremony (and I hope you are!), with a meal and two types of matcha tea, you are offered sake with the meal.  If you've never tried it, it's delicious!  And if you have tried it, but it was served warm, try again.  The best quality sakes are served cold. 

In the Portland area, we are very fortunate to have one of the few US makers of sake in our back yard. A Japanese Tea group recently toured the Sake One facility.  I learned so much!  First, sake is NOT "rice wine."  Technically, wine involves fermented grapes or other fruit, and there is no fruit in sake.  In fact, there are only four ingredients:  Water, Rice, Yeast and Koji. 

Water We learned that the reason Sake One is located here is because of the great water we are fortunate to have.  In Japan, most sake breweries are located near springs.  Here, the water used has a similar character in that it is "fresh" water coming from the Coastal Mountains.  It's lacking any heavy minerality of water that has been underground for a length of time.

Rice Sake One uses rice from our neighboring state of California, the Calrose brand.  Several members of our group said, "Oh, that's the rice my family used when I was growing up."  Being a Midwesterner, this was an unfamiliar brand to me, but I appreciate the fact that the sourcing is regional.  The rice is first polished and then washed, steamed and cooled.

Bags of rice waiting to be processed

Koji - Next, koji is applied in a special cedar room.  Koji is a mold spore that digests the starch and converts it to sugar.  A cedar room is used not only for the subtle aromatic properties it imparts to the sake, but also because its natural resins are anti-bacterial making an incredibly clean environment.

The cedar koji room

Yeast - Water and yeast are added and fermentation occurs.

Fermentation

After the desired level of fermentation is reached, the batch if filtered, pasteurized and aged in porcelain or stainless steel tanks.  Sakes made for an American market are aged a little less than those in Japan.  The longer aging brings out more earthiness (umami) flavors.  Americans prefer a slightly "brighter" flavor profile.

Sake Tasting

We finished our tour with a tasting and food pairing.  We sampled five different sakes and enjoyed nibbles. If you come to the area, it's a fun and educational tour!  Keep in mind that sake has a higher alcohol content than wine, and plan accordingly.

A Tea Party for the Girls

Me (pouring) and Mom

I recently had the LOVE-ly opportunity to host a tea party at my Mom's house.  Very special guests included my mom, sister, a dear friend, my niece and a friend of hers, and the dolls.

I love digging in Mom's china cabinet to find family treasures as serving pieces.  I also brought the fresh Rosemary sprigs with me from Oregon. 

My niece loves cucumber, and so cucumber sandwiches were required.  I used a Rosemary butter base (my favorite cucumber sandwich).  The picture below shows one.  It is supposed to look like a Christmas tree, but my sister thought it looked like a spade.  ;-)

We also enjoyed thick cucumber rounds topped with two types of hummus:  red pepper and chickpea, and mushrooms on toast.  For scones, I made my favorite yeast ones which we ate with raspberry jam from the local Amish market and mock Devonshire cream.  The savories and scones courses were vegan-friendly. 

And for dessert, we had dates stuffed with pecans (vegan) and wonderful cookies brought by my friend.  The girls  had an English Breakfast tea and the grownups enjoyed a delicious tea, new to me, Capricorn Tea.  I very much enjoyed this blend of black and white tea blended with vanilla and rose petal.

I can't tell you how precious these tea times are to me, especially since I live far away. I'm so grateful for tea's presence in my life.  It brings together people I love.

First Tea of 2014 in a Special Secret Place

The DH (dear hubby) and I went for a walk yesterday, to see what's stirring  in the garden and in nature.  We stopped by this rock to have tea (herbal) from a thermos.  It's a special secret place, at least to me.  It's visible to anyone that happens by, but it takes a bit of time to truly see it.

Do you have these special secret places in your life?  I have many of them!  A particular corner in the library, a bench downtown tucked away under a tree.  These places invite us to stop rushing and to look around us.

We also spied daffodils poking their green fronds from the earth.  My Midwestern sense of time is amazed by this, so early!  The DH says it could be that he planted these daffodils too shallow.  Regardless, I'm impressed that they're here to celebrate the new year with us. 

Happy New Year!

May you spend a moment in reflection of all that 2013 has brought you.

May you sweep clean your world for the start of a new year.

May 2014 bring you peace and joy.

Photo taken in Miaoli, Taiwan in May, 2013

Info on poet Matsuo Basho

Sharing Matcha over the Holidays

I had the wonderful opportunity to make matcha for a good friend and my niece while visiting my family over the Christmas holiday. It's always a gift to me to serve tea to those I love. 

My Japanese tea teacher shared with me some white bean paste (Lima beans cooked down, with sugar and a bit of rice flour - it's an all day process), and I had some red bean paste frozen. These made it through airport security "). I made traditional Japanese tea sweets for my guests. The grown up guest liked it and my niece thought it was OK. I was impressed she even tried it!

In fact, she was eager to be my helper and try everything. The horses came along too. 

I made the matcha very very light for her, and with plenty of froth. She liked it!  That's my girl!

Merry Christmas!

Solstice

Twinkle, twinkle oh bright star

Happy solstice!  I'm observing this longest night with a fire, herbal tea, Portland Cello Project music, cinnamon incense and a Japanese sweet I've also named Solstice.

Cinnamon incense

Solstice

Japanese sweet made from red bean paste, lima bean paste, rice flour and sugar. I hope you have the opportunity to try something like this one day. They're delicious. 

Have Yourself a Cozy Little Christmas

Different people need different things at the holidays.  Some people love big, loud family gatherings. Others prefer quiet moments of reflections alone or with a loved one.  I enjoy both!  As I mature, I find that those quiet times are even more necessary to my well being.

The DH and I recently snuggled into our window seat and shared tea and snacks.  It was a wonderful way to spend time together before the holiday travel and rush. 

I'm hoping you find beautiful moments to savor over the next two weeks.  Happy Holidays of Light!

New Tea Filters

This bright green little apple floats and bobs in my teacup.  Hidden beneath is a stainless steel mesh tea strainer.  A gift from a friend.  It makes me smile!

This gorgeous wood strainer rests on top of my teacup, with plenty of space for the loose tea leaves to expand and open.  The product is from Tea Nest and I found it locally at The Jasmine Pearl.

What is Dim Sum?

Do you enjoy an occasional lunch of Chinese dim sum?  It's a tasty and fun experience, with its historical roots and modern day practice involving tea.  Tea is always offered, in addition to a wide range of small plates.  Typical foods include dumplings, steamed buns, turnip cakes and egg tarts. 

From wikipedia:

"Eating dim sum at a restaurant is usually known in Cantonese as going to "drink tea" (yum cha, 飲茶), as tea is typically served with dim sum...  Dim sum is usually linked with the older tradition from yum cha (tea tasting), which has its roots in travelers on the ancient Silk Road needing a place to rest. Thus teahouses were established along the roadside. Rural farmers, exhausted after working hard in the fields, would go to teahouses for a relaxing afternoon of tea. At first, it was considered inappropriate to combine tea with food, because people believed it would lead to excessive weight gain. People later discovered that tea can aid in digestion, so teahouse owners began adding various snacks."

The fun part, aside from the food, is the action.  Often, the food is brought around on carts and you get to pick what you want.  (Sometimes you can order from a checklist.)  It's ideal to share the food among the group, and the giant lazy susan shown above is both practical and entertaining.

I recently had dim sum with my tea friends and we had three pots of tea going.  The quality of tea in dim sum restaurants varies greatly, but we're pretty picky. (No luke-warm jasmine tea bags for us.)  We brought three varieties of tea to enjoy with the meal.  A nicely done jasmine, a bai hao (oriental beauty) oolong and a shou pu-erh.

My favorite way to end the meal is with an egg tart.  It's like a miniature custard pie.

Thanks to a friend's google search, I learned that dim sum literally means "touch the heart". The idea traditionally is that dim sum was a snack.  You would eat just enough to quiet the hunger, but not to stuff yourself.  Today, however, it's turned into a meal.  (Reminds me of the afternoon tea evolution, as well.)

Eating vegetarian at a dim sum restaurant is challenging, but not impossible.  Tip:  Watch for the bok choy or Chinese broccoli and ask for green beans with black bean sauce (request no fish sauce).

If you're interested in Dim Sum at home, check out this great book, Dim Sum: The Art of Chinese Tea Lunch, by Ellen Leong Blonder.   

So tell me - Is dim sum  new to you?  What intrigues you?  Or - where is your favorite dim sum place; what's your favorite treat?

Sencha Natural Mints and New Products

Many of you have probably tired these green tea mints from the Sencha Naturals company.  What do you think of them?  I enjoy them.  The company recently sent me a sampling to review.  My favorite flavor is the yuzu ginger.  I had never before noticed that the mints use Stevia leaf as one of the sweeteners.  I would encourage the company to continue working its formulation in this direction.  Love this company's packaging and visual look.  The cardboard tube was hard to work until the DH figured out that the bottom pushes up and then it turns much better (note to company - you may want to make this note on the product).

A newly released product is this Green Tea + C immune support powder.  The ingredients include matcha, vitamin C derived from acerola cherries, coconut water powder, ginger, tumeric and orange peel, sodium bicarbonate (for fizziness) and Stevia.  I can't make claims about the efficacy of this as a health tool, but I can tell you that I'll be trying it out as I fly around this December.  The flavor is pleasantly sweet with a mild matcha note and that back-of-throat bite from the baking soda.  I like matcha, so this works for me but I can imagine it might not work for those who don't care for the spinach-like notes.  Have you seen or tried this?  What's your opinion? 

Tea Alone

"When we cannot bear to be alone, it means we do not properly value the only companion we will have from birth to death - ourselves."  ~Eda LeShan (1922-2002)

Sharing tea with others is a primary source of happiness in my life.  I love it!  Equally important, I am learning that I need quiet time to myself to truly thrive (and this is coming from an extrovert!)  I've written before on this topic here and here, and yet it continues to come up as a subject for me to discuss in this blog.  It must be an important message to myself.

Do you make space in your life for alone time?  Does tea play a role?  Do you sometimes meditate or read an inspiring book?  Do you sit quietly?  Do you daydream or doodle?  Do you listen to music or the sounds of nature? 

I crave/need a resting place for my brain, a time to allow it to settle and relax and not be so busy, busy.  I'm learning how meditation works for me, and like any new skill it takes patience and practice.  A sip of tea can be my encourager and my place of rest.

Another Way to Cook a Holiday Bird

A whole chicken, deep fried
Muzha, Taiwan

Well, here's another way to cook up a holiday bird - you can deep fry the whole thing!  And how do you serve the meat? Like this!  With oven-proof gloves covered in plastic. 

The turkey was very moist and delicious.  It's a local specialty.  At this feast (and feasting was a daily occurrence), we also enjoyed sauteed greens, bamboo shoots, eggs with pickled daikon (another local specialty), soft noodles with tea oil (below), fried shrimp, soup with fermented winter melon and bamboo, fried soft tofu, fried sweet potato, and a special seasonal green onion from a field nearby.

This Turkey Day, I am going bird-free again.  The DH and I are having a quiet dinner in front of the fire with cava (sparkling Spanish wine), cheese and crackers, and fruit.  Happy Thanksgiving to you however you eat your bird (or don't eat it).