Farrow - Meet Your Matcha: over 50 delicious dishes made with this miracle ingredient

INTRODUCTION

M atcha is a very special form of powdered green tea.
In Japan, matcha forms the foundation of the Tea Ceremony, a cultural tradition in which the tea is made and served according to a highly meditative ritual. The utensils, technique of making and serving as well as the accompanying sweets to complement the tea, all play an important role in the ceremony.

The different grades of matcha range from premium ceremonial grade through to cafe, classic and kitchen grades. Ceremonial grade matcha is a fine, vibrantly coloured powder, made from young leaves with the stems removed. The flavour and colour of the other grades is also determined by the type of leaf used, its quality and the processing. All grades can be used for tea and cooking, though the ceremonial grade is considered too special for any use other than in tea.

But the distinctive flavour of matcha makes it an ideal ingredient in other recipes, too. While most types of teas are used in leaf form for infusing, matcha is powdered to an almost dust-like consistency. This means that whether youre drinking it as tea or using it in a recipe, youll be consuming every precious particle of goodness.

Among matchas nutrients are vitamins, minerals and top of the list antioxidants. Matcha contains over 100 times the amount of antioxidants of regular green tea. These include chlorophyll, which detoxifies by cleansing and purging the body of harmful elements, and the cancer-fighting properties of catechins. Because matcha is shade grown, its even richer in chlorophyll than other green teas.

In this book, matcha is used in an enticing variety of sweet and savoury recipes. Despite its healthy properties, it cant be claimed that a small amount of matcha in a cake renders that dish suddenly healthy! But once you have discovered the brilliant benefits of matcha tea, it opens a whole new world of ideas. Its something to balance other ingredients in a recipe, and tastes great.

Its not easy to pin down the flavour of matcha. The initial taste is of green tea but with a richer, smoother flavour thats enhanced in different ways depending on the ingredients its paired with. It can have a slightly herby savouriness that balances the sugars in sweet recipes, but also an equally fragrant, bitter tea flavour in all sorts of savoury recipes.

There are few ingredients that matcha doesnt marry well with. Butter, cream and milk-based dishes (particularly ice cream) love a hint of matcha, as do rice dishes, including risotto, pilaf and stuffings. Its also brilliant with aromatic ingredients, particularly Asian ones like ginger, chilli, garlic and lemongrass, and most citrus fruits. Matcha is also great with chocolate, both dark and white, and will add a richness to just about any chocolate recipe. Try whisking a dash into hot chocolate or an iced chocolate milkshake. The recipes in this book are just the start. Whether you want to try matcha in tea, a cocktail, a salad or a roast, go out, experiment and meet your matcha!

HOW TO MAKE MATCHA GREEN TEA

If you havent tried matcha before its worth making a cup of tea as a starting point before going on to other drinks and dishes. This will give you a good idea of its consistency and how it blends.

Place teaspoon of the powder in a small heatproof bowl or mug. Boil the kettle and leave to stand for 2 to 3 minutes before pouring a dash over the matcha. Whisk well to remove any lumps before topping up with more water. For a stronger flavour, simply use more matcha. Once youve mastered the art of matcha tea, try the matcha coconut latte on .

A flexible bamboo matcha whisk (known in Japan as a chasen) is ideal for efficiently removing any lumps and giving the tea an appetising froth. These are readily available from online suppliers. Alternatively a hand-held coffee frother is great for smoothing out the lumps and adding a nice frothy foam. Failing these, a small balloon whisk or even a fork will suffice.

Like any other tea, matcha is best drunk freshly brewed as it will stew and become bitter if left to stand. But once its used as part of a recipe, the flavour stays stable and will not alter.

HOW MUCH MATCHA TO USE

Deciding how much matcha to use in any recipe is down to personal taste, whether its a basic matcha green tea or a salad dressing, frosting or soup.

In this book, matcha has been used fairly cautiously so that anyone whos unfamiliar with it enjoys a gentle introduction rather than an overwhelming matcha hit. After all, its easy to add additional matcha, but it cannot be taken away! Just remember that if you want to add more, mix it with a little liquid or a dry ingredient before adding it to the bulk of the recipe.

Another consideration is colour just a spoonful of matcha can turn an ice-cream or custard the prettiest pastel green, while a more generous amount will produce a deeper, grassier colour. Be aware of using generous amounts of matcha in sauces or blended recipes that are predominantly red as the resulting colour can turn an unappetising brown.

ADDING MATCHA TO RECIPES

Although matcha is a powder, it has an extremely dense consistency that lumps together when added to other ingredients.

When mixing with liquids, such as milk, hot water, yogurt or syrup, always start by whisking the matcha in a small bowl or cup with a little of the liquid.

A very small balloon whisk or matcha whisk is ideal. If you dont have one, use a fork but try to eliminate the lumps before adding more liquid or other ingredients so your dish doesnt end up looking speckled.

Matcha can also be mashed up with butter, sugar or other dry ingredients before combining with further ingredients in a recipe.

BREAKFAST SMOOTHIE BOWL

This dish is stunningly pretty, with lovely textures and bursting with matcha goodness.

SERVES 2
PREP: 5 MINUTES

300g/10oz/2 cups soft fruits, such as strawberries, raspberries or redcurrants

3 tbsp coconut cream