matcha recipes

Matcha Recipes

Traditional Matcha Preparation

Sift matcha to remove any lumps. Place 1 tsp matcha in tea bowl (chawan). Add hot water (85-100℃) and mix using the bamboo tea whisk (chasen). Whip the mixture into a froth by quickly moving the chasen back and forth (as if writing the letter “W” many times.) Once a lather has formed, the matcha is ready to drink.

For usucha (the orthodox, thin & weak matcha), use 70 cc of water.

For koicha (thick & strong matcha used in the Tea Ceremony), use only 50 cc of water.

Matcha Latte

Now a popular drink even in the trendy cafés, matcha latte is simple to make. To make one cup of matcha latte:

1/4 ~ 1/2 tsp matcha
3/4 cup hot milk
sugar, condensed milk (our personal choice) or even marshmallows to sweeten

Put matcha in a tea bowl. Add a little bit of the milk, just enough to cover the matcha, and whisk thoroughly (until all frothy) with a chasen. Slowly pour in the remaining milk. Add sugar, condensed milk or marshmallows to sweeten according to your taste. Mix well. Pour into your favourite teacup. Enjoy!

Add a dollop of whipped cream on top for a bit of extra luxury. Sprinkle a bit of matcha powder on top of the cream for an extra touch of colour!

You can also substitute the milk with soy milk. If you get the slightly sweetened soy milk, then you don’t need the sugar!

Matcha Castella

Castella is a popular Japanese sponge cake. This cake was introduced to Japan by Portuguese merchants back in the 16th century. At that time, use of dairy products was not normal in Japan and it so happened that the Pão de Castela (the Portuguese name for this cake that means “bread from Castile”) was one of the few European cakes that did not use dairy products in its recipe. This was the reason why this cake survived in Japan...and eventually evolved into the current Japanese version called “castella”. Here we introduce a matcha flavoured one. Just omit the matcha if you want regular castella.

Ingredients:

200 g bread flour (not cake flour)
6 eggs
300 g sugar
50 cc honey
50 cc cooking oil
50 cc milk
3 tbsp matcha

You will need:

9” x 9” cake pan & parchment paper
large bowl (for mixing)
large pan (big enough to hold the large bowl)
electric whisk
plastic wrap

Pre-heat oven to 370℉ (188℃). Spread parchment paper over the cake pan.

Mix the eggs and sugar in a large bowl. Put hot water in the large pan. Keep the bowl warm by putting it on top of the large pan. WIth a electric whisk, whisk (at high speed) the eggs and sugar until very thick (might take a long time...10~15 mins). The mixture should be thick and consistent enough that you can write letters on it with your finger.

Add honey, milk and oil and whisk for another minute.

Mix the matcha and flour. Slowly sift into the batter while continuously whisking.

Put the batter into the cake pan. Bake at 370℉ for 10 minutes. Lower the oven temperature down to 300℉ (149℃) and bake for another 30 minutes. Check by sticking a toothpick in the cake. If nothing sticks to it when you pull it out, then you can take cake pan out of the oven.

Let it cool a bit. When it is cool enough to touch (but must still be warm), take the cake out of the pan and wrap it with the plastic wrap. Make sure it is thoroughly sealed in. (If you let the cake cool down to room temperature without wrapping, your castella will become dry.)

Let it cool down and put in refrigerator for one day.

Use a sharp knife and cut into small squares. Serve with Japanese tea!