Green Tea Sauteed Vegetables

I'm facinated by recipes that cook with teas, so here's another! This one is from the book "Cooking with Green Tea" by Ying Chang Compestine but republished in the June '04 issue of Taste For Life magazine. **Gunpowder green tea is one of the varieties that was common in the late 18th century. It is a green tea in which the leaves have been rolled up giving it a granular appearence, leading to its name.

• Ready In: 25 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 2  tablespoons  vegetable oil
• 2  teaspoons red chili peppers, finely chopped
• 1  teaspoon lemon, zest of (fresh!)
• 1  teaspoon  loose  green tea (preferably gunpowder, see above comments**)
• 4  cups broccoli florets
• 1  cup  summer squash, cut into 1/4 inch diagonal slices
• 1⁄2 cup  brewed green tea
• 1⁄4 cup red bell pepper, cut into 1 inch chunks
•  salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a wok or large pan over medium-high heat.
2. Add chile pepper, lemon zest and tea leaves and saute till fragrant (about 1 minute).
3. Add the broccoli and squash and stir-fry about 2 minutes.
4. Add the brewed tea and bell pepper and season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Simmer until most of the liquid evaporates (about 1 minute).
6. Serve immediately.