You may have seen or heard the latest health trend at the moment, Matcha everything. The thing is, this magic green powder actually does have a very real presence.
What it basically is, is stoned green tea leaves made from the nutrient-rich young leaves picked from the tips of shade-grown Camellia sinensis plants.
Matcha is steamed, stemmed, and de-vined before being stone-ground into very fine powder. What makes this extra special over drinking normal green tea is that you are consuming the leaves which contain all the valuable healthy goodness.
What is important to note is that when you drink matcha you consume 137 times more antioxidants than regular brewed green tea. Plus all the other powerful nutrients that assist in boosting your metabolism, detoxifying, calming and relaxing the body, and are rich in fibre, chlorophyll and vitamins. Matcha is a mood enhancer, aids concentration, provides the body with vitamin C, selenium, chromium, and magnesium, and prevents disease.
Sounds like we should all be connecting matcha onto a drip 24/7! If you aren’t moved by the latté option but are eager to introduce matcha to your diet, try adding it to your diet in other ways:
Popcorn welcomes almost any topping to her party. Try combining one part matcha with two parts fine sea salt. It’s far healthier than butter and you get far more nutrients in. Also, it’ll make you seem like the coolest person at your movie night.
Add another flavor note to a minty mojito, it’s even more refreshing with a pinch of matcha. Add it to the shaker and muddle it with the mint and limes, or mix the powder with water first. Cheers!
Guacamole is a great way to include matcha. Stir it in early on, before you begin mashing the ingredients together.
Create a curry by sautéing chickpeas and garlic, cumin, onion, curry powder, and matcha with olives, olive brine, and chipotle powder.
Sprinkle matcha onto store-bought granola if you find it too sweet. This will lessen the sweetness and still provide added health benefits.
Don't get behind on the trend! There's more than one way to use matcha, so don't be afraid to get creative. Find more recipes on SideChef for inspiration and you'll be using this versatile ingredient as your go-to recipe staple.
