Green is good!
Matcha, the exquisite powdered green tea from Japan is taking the world by storm. Traditionally drunk during an elaborate Tea Ceremony based on Zen Buddhist teachings of etiquette and grace, matcha has come to have many more culinary applications.
If drinking a cup of unsweetened green stuff is not for you, don’t worry. There is a matcha recipe for even the pickiest of eaters. Serve one of these at a dinner party and finally offer your guests something unique. Sprinkle in some green goodness into your family dinners and impress your kids with something fun while making sure they are taking advantage of all the amazing health benefits of matcha! From entrees to dessert, this post has you covered with the best matcha tea recipes! It’s fusion time – east meets west.
But first, I just want to make sure you have the basics down.
The Basics – Traditional Matcha Tea
Ingredients
The Best Matcha Tea available
Matcha Bowl
Bamboo Matcha Whisk
Hot (not boiling) Purified Water
Add a teaspoon of sifted matcha powder the bowl. Stir in 2 oz. of hot water to make a paste.
After the powder is completely moistened, continue to add more hot water (up to 6 oz.)
Holding the tea bowl with one hand, use the other to whisk the tea in an up and down or W shaped motion until a froth begins to appear on the surface. This froth will eventually become foam made up of tiny bubbles.
There should be no large bubbles on the surface, as this indicates that there is unmixed powder beneath. A uniform, smooth and frothy surface is what punctuates perfectly made matcha.
Now, for the fun part!
Matcha Fried Chicken
Adding matcha to fried chicken is the perfect way to leave people guessing. Most won’t be able to recognize the unique flavor added by green tea powder, and when combined with a little turmeric in the batter, the color of the chicken will be so golden and perfect that everyone will be begging for the recipe.
Ingredients
2 lbs Assorted Chicken Pieces
1 cup Bisquick Baking Mix
½ tsp. Turmeric Powder
½ tsp. Matcha Green Tea Powder
Vegetable Oil
Water
Garlic Powder
Ginger Powder
Red Pepper
Salt
First, heat vegetable oil in a deep fryer or large pot on medium.
Wash and pat dry chicken pieces, then season with garlic powder, ginger, red pepper and salt to taste. Feel free to add a pinch of matcha powder to this seasoning combo for a stronger green tea flavor and color. Set aside for at least 20 minutes.
In a mixing bowl combine Bisquick baking mix, turmeric powder, and matcha powder, along with a little more spice. Then, slowly add cold water to the mixture while stirring vigorously. The end result should be about as thick as pancake batter with no lumps or unmixed powder.
Dip chicken pieces in batter a few times to ensure full coverage, and then add to hot oil. Fry for 20-30 minutes depending on the size of each piece. You may need to remove smaller pieces earlier, so place them in the oil last.
Once the pieces have become golden brown, they are ready to be removed. Use tongs to remove individual pieces and place on paper towels to blot out excess oil, and serve!
Green Spicy Sausage Stew
This sausage stew is a hearty and warming answer to the winter blues. It can be served alone or over fragrant jasmine rice for an even more filling and delicious meal.
Ingredients
2 lbs. Spicy Sausage (Italian, Hungarian, Chorizo etc.)
Half an Onion diced
1 tbs. Olive oil
Small Red and Green Bell Peppers
1 Red Potato Sliced
2- 3 Carrots Sliced
1 Clove of Garlic diced
½ tsp. Matcha Powder
Salt
Water
Heat oil in a wide pan and add onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Pan fry, then add sausage, potato and carrots. Add salt to taste and Stir fry all for about 5 minutes.
After all ingredients are about half cooked, add enough warm water to the pan to leave all of the ingredients half-way covered. Add matcha powder and bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes taste the broth to determine, if more salt is required. If so add it incrementally until perfect. Reduce heat to low and simmer for another 5 minute, then serve.
Green Fettuccini and Shrimp
Decadent green pasta with juicy shrimp. Filling and delicious, this recipe can be easily adapted to serve more.
Ingredients
Dried or Fresh Green Fettuccini Noodles
1 Clove of Garlic diced (Garlic fans, feel free to leave a few pieces whole!)
Juice of ½ a Lemon
1/2 Stick of Salted Butter
1/3 cup of Half and Half
½ tsp. Matcha Powder
1 lb. of Peeled raw Shrimp
2 Handfuls of Baby Spinach
Salt and Black Pepper to taste
Fresh Grated Mozzarella Cheese
If using dried pasta, begin by cooking it to the specifications on the package while preparing the shrimp and sauce. Fresh pasta cooks in a far shorter time, and should therefore be started later.
Heat butter in a wide saucepan, when it begins to sizzle add garlic and brown. Add shrimp, lemon juice, salt and pepper. When shrimp is about half finished add the spinach. Toss all ingredients, until shrimp is fully cooked.
If using fresh pasta, cook it to its package specifications just after starting the shrimp.
Once the shrimp is fully cooked, sprinkle matcha powder into the pan, followed by 1/3 cup of milk. Stir until matcha is dissolved.
Drain pasta completely, then add to the shrimp/sauce mixture and toss. If the mixture is too soupy, cover, reduce heat and simmer all for 3 – 5 minutes.
Plate and top with fresh grated mozzarella. Enjoy!
With all those yummy dinner ideas, I would be remiss if I didn’t sneak a few desserts in here!
MatchaMisu = Matcha + Tiramisu
Italy meets Japan – dessert style! Who doesn’t love a good tiramisu. Now you can take a common dessert and remix it giving it a great kick and a flavor that will keep your guests guessing. I found a great recipe from Oh How Civilized. Here it is!
Ingredients
Matcha Syrup
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon matcha
Matcha Sponge Cake
4 eggs
7 tablespoons of sugar
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1.5 tablespoons matcha
Confectioner’s sugar for dusting
Matcha Cream
2 egg yolks
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon rum
2/3 cup mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon matcha + more for dusting
Making the matcha syrup first, bring water (3/4 cup) and sugar (1/2 cup) to a boil. Simmer for 3 minutes and remove from heat. Let cool, then sift in the matcha (1 tablespoon). Whisk well. (This can be made up to a day before.) Now, moving onto the matcha sponge cake.
Turn oven on to 350°F. Lay parchment paper on a 13″x18″ sheet tray. If the parchment paper rolls up, put a little butter or oil under each corner. Dust the parchment paper with confectioner’s sugar. Set aside. Separate eggs (4). In a mixing bowl, whisk on low speed, the egg whites for 1 minute. Turn up the speed to medium and slowly add the sugar (7 tablespoons). After adding the sugar, turn speed to high. Mix until the stiff peaks form and the egg whites look shiny. Add the egg yolks (4) and fold to mix. Sift in matcha (1/2 tablespoon) and flour (3/4 cup) to the egg mixture and fold to incorporate. Pour the mixture onto the sheet tray and spread evenly. Dust confectioner’s sugar on top. Bake for 10 minutes. Use a cookie cutter (we used the 3″) to cut out circles.
And now for the cream!
Bring a small pot of water to a simmer. Put the egg yolks (2), sugar (1 tablespoon), and rum (1 tablespoon) in a stainless steel bowl that will sit on top of the pot. Continuously whisk all three ingredients together until it thickens to the ribbon stage (about 5 minutes). Cool for 5 minutes. In another bowl, whip the heavy cream (1/2 cup) until soft peaks form. Combine the lightly whipped heavy cream and the egg mixture. Fold together. Sift in the matcha (1 tablespoon) and mix well. Finally, fold in the mascarpone cheese (2/3 cup).
Assembling the Matchamisu.
In a small glass (we used these mini cups), put in a piece of the sponge cake. (We cut a smaller piece of cake to fit the tapered bottom of the cup.) Spoon on the matcha syrup over the sponge cake, making sure the sponge cake gets soaked with the syrup. Dollop the matcha cream on top. Layer on another piece of sponge cake. Pour on matcha syrup to the top level sponge cake. Add the final layer of matcha cream and dust with matcha.
Caramel Green Tea Cheesecake
This green tea cheesecake with a caramel glaze is an exciting twist on a classic dessert. Both the cheesecake and glaze contain a good amount of matcha, so the flavor will be exotic and delicious!
Ingredients
2 pkgs. Softened Cream Cheese
3 ¾ cups Sugar
2 Eggs
1 ½ Sticks of Butter
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
3 tsp. Matcha Green Tea Powder
1 ½ cup of Ginger Snap Crumbs
Preheat oven to 325°F.
Combine ginger snap crumbs with ½ a stick of butter and ½ cup of sugar. Press mixture into the bottom of a cake pan and bake for 10 minutes and remove from oven.
While the crust is baking, cream 2 ½ cup sugar together with ¼ stick of butter, eggs and vanilla. Fold cream cheese into this mixture and mix until a smooth batter forms. Sift 2 tsp. of matcha powder into the batter and stir until the color is a uniform jade green.
Pour the batter over the crust and bake for 1 ½ – 2 hours. Use the toothpick test to determine when it is ready.
Begin the glaze about 10 minutes before removing the cheesecake from the oven, as it will be at its optimum pouring texture when fresh.
Heat ½ stick of butter on medium heat. Once the butter is completely liquefied, stir in ¾ cup of sugar and 1 tsp of matcha powder (consider mixing the sugar and matcha together prior to adding them to the butter for a smoother texture). The mixture will begin to bubble up and must be stirred constantly to prevent burning. Once the mixture has become a little thicker than pancake syrup, drizzle onto top of cheesecake in a visually pleasing pattern. It will likely spread out if the mixture is too thin, however this will not affect the overall taste of the cake. Cover (without touching the top) and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Serve when fully chilled.
Now that you’ve got these brilliant recipes, try them out and let us know if you were able to serve and impress in the comments section below
