I've been experimenting with a few different blended tea drinks lately, and I'll be posting about those further when I've had slightly more success with them and am able to take some decent photos. In the meantime, I thought I'd post a recipe for the delicious matcha smoothie I whizzed up for myself today - just what I needed for a mid-morning snack-and-tea-in-one, especially after a night of insufficient sleep; it really picked me up and kept me going til the mid-afternoon.
You will need:
A blender
A ripe banana
A glass of milk (about 300ml)
Vanilla extract (to taste; I like lots)
1 tsp matcha powder
Put the milk, banana and vanilla extract in a blender and blend until smooth. With the blender still going, add the matcha powder and mix until thoroughly combined and a uniform greenish colour is achieved. Drink and enjoy!
What I like about this recipe is it's quite simple. Not a lot of effort or many ingredients is needed. And that means there's more tea and less other stuff in it. I'd like to follow it exactly except to substitute soymilk for the cow's milk there. --Jason
ReplyDeleteI saw your post about this on twitter, and was hoping the recipe would follow. Sounds wonderful - thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteJason - soymilk (with vanilla as well maybe? is too much ever enough??) would also be great in this, I didn't have any to hand when I was making this otherwise I would probably have used it. Almond milk might also be good!
ReplyDeleteHope you both get a chance to try it :)
Yes, I think nut milks would be good with simple recipes like this but the soy milk mixes well with the tea according to food synergy people. At least it has been a good combination for many Asian people who have low risk of cancer because they eat soy and drink tea. --Jason
ReplyDeleteVeri-Tea,
ReplyDeleteI really will pull out my rather neglected blender now that I have read your recipe for a matcha-infused smoothie. I am not a big banana person and wonder if you have tried substituting with other fruits, like strawberries or peaches.
Cha Sen, I haven't tried this with any other fruits - but I think peaches could be delicious! Let me know how your experiments go!
ReplyDeleteVerity..I have never heard of matcha. What is it and where do I get it?
ReplyDeleteWe are big smoothie drinkers here at my place and I am always looking for some extra 'nutrition' to add!
Hi Leanne-
ReplyDeleteMatcha is powdered Japanese green tea, it is used in chanoyu (traditional tea ceremony) where it is whisked in hot water to produce a frothy green drink. Because you are drinking the whole leaf (minus stems/veins, which are removed before the leaves are powdered) it is a very rich source of all the nutrients that the tea leaf contains, and is higher in caffeine than a tea that is brewed and then has the leaves strained out. It's available from Asian food stores, which is where I got my little tin from - although I'm not very certain about the quality, given that it was only about $8 for 20gm - fine matcha can be very expensive!
The one I have is ok for smoothies and cooking, but I haven't had much success in making whisked matcha - although that's probably to do with my inexperience as much as anything else ;)
If you go looking for some, make sure it's from Japan - I believe that some cheaper grades of powdered tea are produced in China these days... Let me know how you go if you do get some!
Verity..thank you. I will keep my eye out for it. How much do you use at a time..say for a smoothie?
ReplyDeleteI think when brewing for the tea ceremony, you only use about 2/3 of a teaspoon. For a smoothie where it's being combined with other flavours, I'd use about a teaspoon to a teaspoon and a half, depending on your own prefernce! Have fun experimenting!
ReplyDelete