What can you do with matcha?

3:11 AM | Labels: English Food, olivemagazine, UK Food

Matcha Cupcakes Recipe

Want to know about matcha tea? Fancy making a matcha cake? Read our guide all about this healthy green tea.

What is matcha?

Matcha (said Mah-cha) is made from finely powdered whole green tea leaves. Vibrantly grass green in colour it has an earthy, bitter flavour, grassy with an undertone of tea and a hit of sweetness. The production of matcha, from whole leaves grown in shade to encourage their production of chlorophyll and amino acids is expensive and the powder doesn’t come cheap, though you only need a little for each recipe.

How do you use matcha?

Drinking matcha is a ceremonial affair; it isn’t just a cup of tea, more of a spiritual experience and requires the right accoutrements including a matcha bowl and bamboo whisk. Cooking with it is a good deal simpler, especially when baking and you can buy culinary grade matcha just for this purpose. You can buy matcha for cooking at matchateafactory.com and tombotea.com.

The simplest way to begin using matcha is as a flavouring, think of it as a spice like vanilla or cinnamon. Try it as an ice cream flavouring either by softening some bought vanilla ice cream and beating in 2 tbsp per 500ml, or by making a matcha milk shake with 1 tbsp matcha, 250ml whole or almond milk and sugar or honey to sweeten it. Serve over ice cubes or crush them into the mix in a blender.

On the savoury front, matcha salt – a mix of sea salt and matcha powder – makes a new sprinkle for poached, boiled or fried eggs; try adding it to a martini for a slightly bitter twist.