Recipes

Frozen Tea Cubes

Got leftover tea? You can easily repurpose it to make some easy, no-waste ice cubes that are the perfect companion for cocktails or simply for chilling your favorite summer beverage. Our favorites that we think you should try are:  Hibiscus (Use for margaritas, mint tea, and mojitos) Butterfly Pea flower (Use for cocktails, sparkling water, and horchata) Black tea (Use with lemonade for an Arnold Palmer)

Any Tea Chinese Paper-Wrapped Spongecakes

"This is one of my favorite Chinese bakery recipes. As a child, having one of these spongecakes was never enough. They’re also perfect for my palate, not too sweet, and never frosted. Imagine marshmallows and clouds had babies; those babies would be these spongecakes.Traditionally, these are egg and vanilla flavored when you find them in Hong Kong or US Chinatown bakeries. To celebrate Lunar New Year, I’ve infused the milk with tea from World Spice Merchants to make these delicious and auspicious treats. Now we can have tea and fluffy soft spongecakes at the same time. “Work smarter, not harder,” is my motto this year of the rabbit!"Bio: About Kat Lieu - the doyenne and Queen of Asian baking, Kat Lieu is the founder of Subtle Asian Baking and modernasianbaking.com. Her debut cookbook is Modern Asian Baking at Home. Currently, Lieu is a full-time author, activist, and recipe developer. Follow Subtle Asian Baking @katlieu

Fluffy-Like-A-Cloud Chiffon Cake

"From the late 1930s to early 1940s, Ah Ma, my paternal grandmother, learned culinary secrets from restaurants in Vietnam. She passed down only one written recipe, a lemon chiffon cake recipe that I always turn to and treasure. I use about half of the ingredients she used in her recipe (she used 10 to 12 eggs!), and instead of lemon, this regal cloud of a cake is tea-flavored and will serve as the perfect sweet treat or gift during Lunar New Year." Bio: About Kat Lieu - the doyenne and Queen of Asian baking, Kat Lieu is the founder of Subtle Asian Baking and modernasianbaking.com. Her debut cookbook is Modern Asian Baking at Home. Currently, Lieu is a full-time author, activist, and recipe developer. Follow Subtle Asian Baking @katlieu “Excerpted from Modern Asian Baking at Home. © 2022 Quarto Publishing Group USA Inc. Text © 2022 Kathleen Lieu”

Kat Lieu's Beautifully Blue Mochi Cake

20 min

"Ever had butter mochi or a mochi cake? If yes, then you’ll love my irresistible and beautifully blue mochi cake! If you haven’t, that’s ok; let’s start with this recipe. I bet you’ll be mochi in love. It’s so easy to make and a great introduction to the world of mochi or rice cakes." "Mochi cakes are chewy, bouncy, and gluten-free. The toothsome mouthfeel is addictive to me! With a few ingredient substitutions, this cake can be made vegan too. Kids will love this cake, and it’ll surely be a showstopper at any dinner party!" About Kat Lieu - the doyenne and Queen of Asian baking, Kat Lieu is the founder of Subtle Asian Baking and modernasianbaking.com. Her debut cookbook is Modern Asian Baking at Home. Currently, Lieu is a full-time author, activist, and recipe developer. Follow Subtle Asian Baking @katlieu

Blueberry Butterfly Pea Flower Muffins

Who doesn't love a mini muffin? Sometimes we need the perfect little bite with our morning cup of coffee or a tasty snack to keep us going. These darling muffins are just the thing. They get their sky blue color from Butterfly Pea Flowers. We opted to make these gluten-free for everyone's enjoyment. Little pops of sweet blueberries complement the muffins' excellent green tea-like flavor. They're really enjoyable and won't weigh you down like a traditional muffin would. Bake a batch and enjoy them throughout the week — they'll keep moist and delicious. We love using Butterfly Pea Flower as an all natural food dye! Check out our Galaxy Pops and Butterfly Horchata recipes for more blue beauties.

Galaxy Pops

While ice pops are a classic, summertime staple; these are simply out of this world. They naturally get their starry night color from Butterfly Pea Flowers. This recipe was inspired by our Butterfly Pea Flower Horchata. Horchata is a Mexican rice milk beverage that is traditionally flavored with cinnamon. We made these pops a little richer using sweetened condensed milk to add creaminess. Additionally, we took some of the rice pudding base and pureed butterfly pea flowers that have a slight green tea flavor. A galaxy-like effect was created by pouring the creamy white horchata mix on top of the beautiful, deep blue, butterfly base. These pops easily freeze in Dixie cups as a mold. For the green Martian pops, we used some basil and lime juice. Treat yourself to one of each! They're sure to be the star of your hot summer day.To make this a completely vegan/dairy-free recipe, substitute cream of coconut for the sweetened condensed milk in the horchata mix.

Floral Chia Seed Pudding

This go-to summer breakfast has infinite possibilities. We used chia seeds which are full of protein, antioxidants and fiber. Once they soak overnight in liquid, they plump up and have a tapioca-like texture that is both filling and easy to build on other flavors. Here we brewed some Floral Sonnets tea, adding a touch of honey and some Beet Powder, resulting in the beautiful magenta layer for this parfait. For the royal blue-colored pudding, we used Butterfly Pea Flower with almond milk. The next day build your parfait with the layers by adding seasonal berries and yogurt. This parfait cup will taste of chamomile, ginger and cinnamon, which bring warmth to the tangy yogurt. It's both festive and a great way to start any breakfast!

Butterfly Horchata

Aguas frescas vendors line parks in Mexico with their rainbow of brightly colored beverages. Of them all, horchata is my favorite. A creamy rice and almond blended brew with wisps of mild and exotic flavor from true cinnamon. Refreshing and sweet, horchata cuts the heat from popular Mexican street food and makes a perfect pitcher for any backyard BBQ. This season, we've given it a festive color boost with ice cubes made with butterfly pea flowers. Start a day ahead to make the ice and soak the ingredients for the horchata. The next day blend it up and you're good to go! As the ice cubes, melt they'll turn your horchata a sweet lavender color. True cinnamon might be thought of as more powerful or better than cassia cinnamon, which isn't the case. Of the two, cassia actually has stronger and spicier flavors whereas true cinnamon is more mild and less heat-forward. True cinnamon's soft bark makes it quick and easy to grind at home but also makes it more evanescent. Having fresh sticks and only grinding when need makes all the difference!

Flour Tortillas

It's no secret that flour tortillas are champions of versatility! You can top them with anything, fill them with anything, and they work great for snacks or for meals. What's less well known, however, is that they're also incredibly easy to make! Really! And nothing beats a fresh, warm tortilla.When making tortillas at home, use the opportunity to be creative! By using different spices or flours, you can inject a little flair into your recipe, and make your tortillas truly unique! In this recipe, we use Saffron and Butterfly Pea Flower to give our tortillas unique and distinctive colors. You can substitute a portion of the all-purpose flour for other flours, too, for more flavor and texture variety.Recipes such as this one traditionally use lard, but we've found that vegetable oil makes a perfectly suitable substitution. It's easy to double or triple this recipe, and they'll keep in your refrigerator in an airtight container for a couple of weeks. Homemade tortillas are best when fresh, though, and we don't think you'll have any problem finding ways to use them!