It’s all a bit matcha

Matcha is of noble extraction (ahem), having been used in sacred Japanese tea rituals by Zen monks for centuries; but it’s also cool enough to kick it with the hipsters in their flat whites.

It’ll give you a caffeine buzz, mellowed by the tea’s high antioxidant, amino acid and chlorophyll content. It’s naturally bitter, but plays nicely with sweet flavours and creamy ingredients. Food ed Abigail Donnelly prefers the green stuff sprinkled over freshly popped popcorn with a bit of icing sugar.

[caption id="attachment_20289" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Photo cred: KOI Dessert Bar (Sydney)[/caption]

Remember Reynold Poernomo from MasterChef Australia? Well, he now has his own dessert bar called KOI in Sydney and was called into the latest season to present one of his signature dishes, Moss, for a pressure test. Comprising seven elements (!), it showcases matcha in a white chocolate cremeux and a “moss” made with almond meal, rice flour, sugar and eggs.

[caption id="attachment_20288" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Photo credit: Jan Ras[/caption]
Karen Schneid from local confectionery company Ooh La La has a soft spot for matcha. She sources an organic variety from Japan, using it in nougat, chocolate and calissons. But our favourite is her bergamot marshmallows enrobed in matcha chocolate and sprinkled with yuzu zest.

[caption id="attachment_20287" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Photo cred: Claire Gunn[/caption]

At Lady Bonin’s Tea Bar in Cape Town, the matcha latte is made with steamed full-cream milk and a dash of honey, but it’s also available with almond, coconut or rice milk. Owner Jessica Bonin recommends making a version using ½ t matcha per 200 ml boiled water, first adding 3T water to the matcha to form a paste, then topping it up with water and adding milk.

[caption id="attachment_20285" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Photo cred: Charlene Pretorius [/caption]

South African chef Charlene Pretorius, who is currently working in the innovation kitchen of a large retailer in Sydney, loves the bitter flavour of matcha in that good old fête favourite coconut ice – a sweet treat she says the Aussies love almost as much as us Saffas.

Discover more Asian-inspired recipes here.