I was going to post about matzo sandwiches this week, but Kiraleah beat me to it! I have also been playing off Kiraleah's cottage cheese and banana sandwich goddess-like combination, and it has been more than fulfilling. While I too have been observing Passover this past week, and have been making some great matzo creations (including one with raspberry jam, cottage cheese, and banana), I have also found a new favorite morning drink.
Green tea lattes are divine. The beautiful color is matched by the flavor. The last time I was in Chinatown in Chicago with my friends, we went into a local grocery store, and I had my Chinese speaking friends and one Japanese speaker (because most of the containers were in Japanese, some Chinese, and the product itself is traditionally Japanese) scope out the most legit container of Matcha green tea powder. This is a crucial part of the process as my Spanish language skills left me floundering amongst the indecipherable characters.
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| The bag of powder looked something like this. |
The most ideal immersion comes by first dissolving a small amount (I'm talking 1/4-1/2 a teaspoon here) in a a few tablespoons of boiling water. I then add about a cup of almond milk (any milk is great, I'm just an almond milk fanatic) and either heat it all up or put in some ice cubes or drink it as is. If you have a jar to put the warm/lukewarm drink in, you can cap it and shake it really hard so that it gets nice and foamy. I am a personal fan of foam, with a little bit of the Matcha powder sprinkled on top, but I understand that some people are not... (they are missing out!)
The powder is interesting in that it has a sweet/bitter quality. It is much smoother than the green tea leaves that you might steep on a regular basis. This is the attribute that gives it a sweet texture while the flavor is bitter but not biting. With Almond milk, the semi-sweet nuttiness is readily complemented by the herbal smoothness of the powder.
Apparently, so I've heard through the grapevine, Matcha green tea powder has antioxidants up the wazoo! So this combination taste delicious and is also great for getting those free radicals outta there. I believe there are many other health benefits for drinking Matcha green tea powder, so next time you're at Starbucks, ask for this little cup of joy and go find yourself some matcha powder– it's worth it for your morning taste buds and your brain.
This is a drink I have always wanted to make at home but have somehow always failed at it (the powder never dissolves) I was using matcha powder that I bought in Northampton and wound up using it to make green tea macarons after my failed tea attempt. I would love to buy this is "my" Chinatown in NYC. I'm sure it comes at a better price and that will liberate me to be a bit more creative with it.
ReplyDeleteHaha! I was surprised to be the first to post about them, so it's good to know I wasn't far fetched in my thinking. I'd love to hear some of your combinations. Also, green tea is amazing so I can't wait to try this instead of paying two dollars for a small at Starbucks.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I'm a big fan of green tea lattes, I think it's very interesting how we use tea from around the world and "Americanize" it by adding milk and turning it into a latte. It reminds me a lot of the ham and cheese bagel, a Jewish classic made American.
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