By reputation, Matcha tea helps with relaxation, alertness, weight loss, fat burning, reduces the risk of heart disease, and fights bacteria, viruses and fungi.
It's actually made from the dried and ground younger buds of the Camellia Sinensis bush, the very same one that produces the regular green tea with which we're all a little more familiar. The younger buds pack a powerful health punch and are highly valued in Japanese cuisine.
Worth a try, right?
My first experience with Matcha powder was not encouraging.
It was dispensed to me as a green powder to which I was advised by my Chinese practitioner of the day, to add to juice or water and drink like a shot.
I can tell you this did not go well.
It just tasted...well...green. Like drinking grass clippings or something.
Not appetising. There was much gagging and cursing each morning whilst I tried to stomach the green swill, until I simply decided, health benefits or not, that it wasn't for me.
That's going back about 12 years ago before Matcha was a 'thing' made palatable by Starbucks lattes, and Singaporean sponge cakes.
These days I'm a bit more savvy.
Matcha tea powder is really, really good for you. But then you probably already knew that. If you thought drinking green tea was dosing you up on anti-oxidants, then you need to know that Matcha has at least triple the goodness in one single cup.
I've learned to add it to all manner of things here. It does have a herbaceous sort of flavour for sure, so drinking it dissolved in water, for me, is not appetising at all. BUT sprinkling it into a smoothie, adding it's vivid green goodness to a cake batter or cookie dough, turning it into a latte with Almond milk and honey, or turning white chocolate a pretty shade of green to use as a garnish...now that's good.
Add it to a smoothie and you get a gorgeous colour and a gorgeous boost to your already healthy start to the day.
There's all the traditional sorts of uses to which I was introduced when I got Matcha serious.
Here are a few more I've used since:
1. Sprinkle on top of savoury toast spreads or scrambled eggs for colour and flavour
2. Add to a cup of broth
3. Add to meatloaf for a lovely light flavour boost and all those anti-oxidants
4. Add it to iced tea
5. Mix it with yoghurt or coconut water for a fab popsicle
6. Sprinkle it into any cake, cookie or muffin batter. It produces a gorgeous colour and adds a really lovely, delicate flavour.
7. Add to pancake or crepe batter (St Patricks Day here we come!)
8. Add it to cocktails or mocktails either as a colour and flavour, or sprinkled as a garnish
9. Use it to garnish casseroles and savoury bakes and pies...even sprinkle a touch around the edges of your plates as a garnish
10. Add it to brownies and fudge for health benefits
11. Matcha Vanilla Chia Pudding is delicious and healthy
12. Whisk it with any milk or milk alternative and add sweetener if desired for a truly relaxing latte
I'll add more as they come to me.
Give it a try. It's well worth it.
Have you tried Matcha?
...Mimi...
I was introduced to Matcha tea as a green powder and I could not even get it past my lips. The smell was disgusting! So I gave up the idea of trying and threw the expensive and revolting powder in the bin. Still not sure if I want to give it a go but you do make it look and sound so much more inviting.
ReplyDeleteYes Jane, me too! Just use it in little doses. Sprinkled on green veg, you barely notice it. A pinch in a smoothie goes unnoticed. Drown it in other flavours basically...lol...Mimi xxx
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