I received my first pouch of matcha powder earlier this month from Boost Bio Market and Ev Zin Bio. I’m a big fan of matcha smoothies but other than that I had no idea what to do with it. Enter a good friend, fellow boy mama and all around awesome person, Minako. I first wanted her matcha tea recipe. Then I wanted her matcha parfait recipe. Soon I was receiving photos of mouth-drooling Japanese treats and simple little recipes. So we decided to share and here they are!
Easy Matcha ice cream
You will need:
- 200 gr vanilla ice cream
- 1 tsp matcha powder
What to do:
- let the vanilla ice cream melt so you can whisk in the matcha powder. Minako recommends going with more than 1 tsp if you really want to taste the matcha.
- pour into a container and freeze for more than 3 hours until it is frozen.
Mochi (plain and matcha)
For plain mochi you will need:
- 50 gr glutinous rice flour
- 50 ml water
For the matcha mochi you will need:
- 50 gr glutinous rice flour
- 5 gr matcha powder
- 50 ml water
What to do: The method is the same for both plain and with matcha.
- Grab a bowl and mix all the ingredients. But add water SLOWLY. You want to make a ball so you need to form a paste to be able to slowly do that.
- Place your mochi balls in boiling water.
- Once your balls come up to the surface take them out and put them directly into cold water and rinse them.
- Drizzle matcha syrup over and enjoy.
*** You can find glutinous rice flour from Chinese food shops in town.
Matcha syrup
What you will need:
- 2 tsps matcha powder
- 7 tbsps cane sugar
- 10 tbsps water
What to do:
- mix your matcha and sugar in a pan.
- add water SLOWLY and mix well each time you do.
- then add heat to the pan, mixing well as you go until the sugar has melted completely.
Roasted nuts coated with matcha powder
You will need:
- 100 gr nuts – Minako recommends almonds and walnuts
- 60 gr cane sugar
- 2 tbsps water
- 1 tsp butter
- 15 gr matcha powder
What to do:
- Mix all the ingredients – NOT the matcha powder – coating the nuts.
- Put in the oven to caramelise – keep your eye on them- and mix once.
- Cool them down and then mix with the matcha powder by shaking in a ziplock bag.
You’ll find Minako’s traditional matcha tea recipe here where I also wrote about my experience shopping online for organic foods with Boost Bio Market. My new matcha tea set is from EvZin Bio and it includes a bamboo whisk, spoon and bowl. I love it.
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PS: Over the weeks I was slowly writing this post and Minako was sending me photos of her matcha delicacies, she also sent me some pics of the bento boxes she prepares, which I mention in the post. I would love to dedicate a whole post to the wonders that this woman and her team create but I will have to hold my horses for now. She’s starting out slowly and steadily but if you want to find out what all the fuss is about, Minako’s Kitchen will be at two separate events in Nicosia. For the first on June 26 check out the Facebook event here .
- And here’s a sneak peek of what you can expect to taste at Kafeneio To Leoforeio : Freshly-made Daizu karaage (fried soy fillet marinated in a soy-sauce based Japanese sauce, also vegan-friendly) and Okonomiyaki (western Japanese signature savory pancake with slices of pork and cabbages, carnivore-friendly)
And for the second event, Minako’s Kitchen will be preparing a different menu at The Terrace in Nicosia on June 27 from 18:00 until midnight. Cocktails and music included.
