Narelle Muller discovers the superpowers of the utterly unmatchable matcha green tea.
“Superfoods” is the wellbeing catchphrase in health marketing today.
While busy consumers seek the best bang for their buck in terms of nutrition (after all, there really are only so many hours in a day and so many meals one can consume) it can be a minefield knowing where to put your faith and your dollars.
The range of supplements, powders, capsules and mixtures you can add to your diet for energy, wellness, satiety, hydration, clear-headedness, vitality, optimal performance, detoxification is limited only by your patience and resources.
Sorting and sampling can be a slow process of elimination and rather hit and miss. But, what if you could simply replace one element of your daily routine, a cup of coffee a day, with something equally satisfying, something which provides an intense immunity boost, calmness and focus, stamina, as well as metabolic vrroomm?
Ta da! Enter matcha green tea. Wellness in a cup, it contains the highest concentration of antioxidants in any known fruit or vegetable.
While we are generally aware green tea can fortify the body’s defenses, it is not widely known a serve of matcha equates, nutritionally, to 10 cups of regular brewed green tea, already acknowledged as a powerhouse.
Matcha means ground or rubbed, so when you consume matcha, you are ingesting all of the leaves’ nutrients. Matcha plants are covered prior to harvesting to protect them against direct sunlight. This slows their growth and in turn encourages chlorophyll production, along with amino acids. Premium buds are handpicked and then stone ground, resulting in matcha powder.
It is only in the last 10-15 years that matcha green tea has become widely consumed outside of Japan.
Replacing one coffee a day, or just taking a shot of matcha in your water bottle or smoothie, will throw a powerful punch of extra vitamins and nutrients into your day. Alternatively, you may consider using it in baking – try our delicious Chocolate Matcha Cake!
CHOCOLATE MATCHA CAKE
Thank you to Jennifer of Bird Seed Tweet for this recipe.
Image via A Cosy Kitchen
Heat oven to 180°C
Mix the following dry ingredients in a bowl:
200g almond meal
75g rice flour
75g tapioca or corn starch
3 tsp baking powder
220g sugar
80g cocoa
1/2 tsp salt
Mix the following wet ingredients in a jug:
150g maple syrup
180g oil
225g milk of choice
2 tsp vanilla essence
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 heaped tsp Kintra Foods Matcha Green Tea Powder mixed in ¼ cup hot water
Method
- Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and combine. Don’t overmix.
- Quickly pour mixture into two greased/lined tins. (You can also make cupcakes.)
- Bake for around 35 – 45mins for larger cakes, less for cupcakes
- Allow to cool before removing large cakes from tins.
Chocolate ganache
200g dark chocolate
1/3 cup water
3 tbsp sugar
200g coconut cream
Put chocolate pieces into a heatproof bowl. Put water and sugar into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Boil for 2 to 3 minutes. Pour over chocolate and allow to sit for a couple of minutes before stirring. Ensure the chocolate is fully melted; put in the microwave for 10 or 20 seconds if necessary. Stir through coconut cream. Refrigerate until desired consistency is reached. Used between cakes and on top.
Sift Kintra Foods Matcha Powder on top of iced cake.
MATCHA LATTE
In a cup stir 1 tsp Kintra Foods Matcha Green Tea powder into a paste using a small amount of hot water. Add heated/frothed milk of your choice. Sweeten as desired!
Image via Bourbon and Honey