Matcha - The Green Gold

Matcha is known to be highly beneficial, the more you know about Matcha the more you would want to find out. At least this is how I felt when I had the opportunity to hear about the wonders of Matcha and the benefits for our body and health in general. But before we go deeper into Matcha, make sure that when you buy its authentic. There are lots of cheap versions floating around the markets and often sold cheaply with an abundance of pesticides. For four hundred years, people partaking in chanoyu, the Japanese tea ceremony, have enjoyed matcha. The tea’s unique creamy texture has a vegetal, fresh, sweet aroma and tastes pleasantly astringent.

Growing matcha requires an extra step that its other green tea cousins don’t—matcha tea bushes spend several weeks growing under trellises that protect them from the sun. This protected growth time actually changes the internal chemistry of the leaf, resulting in an extra-rich taste, additional beneficial amino acids, and higher antioxidants. Matcha leaves also get extra attention when they are processed. In fact, matcha is only made in specialized tea factories designed to turn bulky, fresh tea leaves into finely milled, silky smooth powdered tea. In the matcha factory, once the stems and leaf veins have been removed from each leaf, the remaining torn bits of leaf are funneled into small granite mills consisting of two opposing and very finely scored grinding stones. The movement of the stones is slow and precise—it takes approximately one hour to obtain a half-ounce of matcha. Because of this meticulous process, matcha delivers the most nutrients per cup of any green tea. It is estimated that you only get 30 to 40 percent of the healthy nutrients—including vitamins A, E, and beta-carotene—from leaf teas, whereas matcha retains nearly 100 percent of the available nutrients.

Ido Tea Bowl, Korean, Yi (Joseon) dynasty, 16th century

The result? A bright green powder that does not dissolve in hot water (it is not instant tea) but is so microfine that it “surrenders” to the water, leaving a fine layer of tea sediment at the bottom of the cup. When shopping for matcha, take time to look at ingredients—many types of powdered green tea are sold in the market but most aren’t authentic matcha. Avoid powdered tea that contains sugar, milk products, or other stabilizers—true Japanese matcha is comprised of only ground tea leaf, pure and simple. Matcha should be purchased within the year that it was produced, so look for an expiration date. Real matcha can be costly, but the pleasure it gives is priceless.


A glimpse back in history 

Tea Culture of Japan: “Chanoyu” Past and Present illuminates the importance of Japanese tea culture and examines the ways in which it has evolved over the centuries. Imported to Japan from China during the ninth century, the custom of serving tea did not become widespread until the thirteenth century. Before the rise of the simple wabi aesthetic, tea service involved precious objects displayed lavishly in a large room. By the late 15th and 16th centuries, powdered tea was ceremonially prepared by a skilled tea master and served to a small group of guests in a tranquil setting; this way of preparing tea became known as chanoyu. Tea Culture of Japan brings together approximately 100 objects—drawn largely from distinguished private collections and supplemented by the works in the collection of the Yale University Art Gallery. Objects on view range from the ninth century through the present day and include ceramic tea bowls from Japan, Korea, China, and Vietnam, as well as bamboo tea scoops, iron kettles, maki-e lacquer incense containers, and Zen-inspired calligraphic works.



Amongst its many health benefits, Matcha…

• Is packed with antioxidants including the powerful EGCg
• Boosts metabolism and burns calories
• Detoxifies effectively and naturally
• Calms the mind and relaxes the body
• Is rich in fiber, chlorophyll and vitamins
• Enhances mood and aids in concentration
• Provides vitamin C, selenium, chromium, zinc and magnesium
• Prevents disease
• Lowers cholesterol and blood sugar

Making authentic Matcha

Want to make a cup of matcha? You will be surprised that making matcha is not high tech and very simple. Whisk matcha and hot water vigorously with a traditional bamboo tea whisk or a milk frother to incorporate the tea powder well.

Cooking with Matcha

Try matcha in fruit smoothies, tea cocktails, and desserts such as cookies, custard, ice cream, and pound cake. Matcha smoothies are easy to make: Whisk 2 teaspoons (or more) of matcha into one cup of plain yogurt. Add 2–3 cups of fruit and/or fruit juice, and sweetener or ice cubes (optional). Matcha is particularly delicious with these combos: mango and apricot; cantaloupe and strawberry; apple and raspberry; or banana and pineapple.

Here are some additional quick and easy ideas for incorporating matcha into everyday foods.

Put a little matcha into a fine hand-held strainer and gently tap some “matcha snow” over a dollop of whipped cream to accompany poached pears, a pecan pie, or a cup of hot chocolate, or dust onto a serving of fresh fruit salad topped with yogurt.

For a tasty addition to your favorite sandwich or chicken salad, make a colorful matcha mayonnaise in a snap by using 1 teaspoon matcha powder per ¼ cup of mayonnaise. Blend until smooth and add a few drops of lemon juice to brighten the flavor.

Sprinkling grainy sea salt on salads, vegetables, or meats adds crunch and flavor—try mixing ½ teaspoon matcha powder to 1 tablespoon grainy sea salt for a splash of color and flavor.

Tea, Green Tea and Matcha History

• All tea varieties, including white, green, oolong and black tea, grow from a plant with the botanical name Camellia sinensis, which originated in Southwestern China.

• Tea as a diffusion was discovered by chance nearly 5,000 years ago, when tea leaves blew into the steaming cup of water set before Chinese Emperor and botanist Shen Nong. The same process has been used for hundreds, if not thousands of years.
• Japanese monks visiting China carried tea leaves home, inspiring the concept of ceremonial tea and infusing itself into the Japanese culture by around 805 A.D. Small tea-growing operations improved for several hundred years until around the mid-1500s, when the matcha process was established.

The process of making Matcha in Japan

There are basically 5 steps to make matcha, the processing itself is not high tech. The aim to make match is not to have too much human interference in the product itself.

In the beginning of April, when the tea buds grow. Tea fields are covered with black sheets to block out the sunlight. Shielding sunlight inhibits theanine, the flavor component, from changing to tannin, an acerbity component. It also generates the sweet flavor unique to matcha, called "Oika", and the vivid green color. Tea leaf harvest begins from the 88th day from the beginning of spring (Hachiju-hachiya).

Picked tea buds are delivered to aracha processing factory. High-temperature steaming stunts the fermentation enzyme activities and retains the vivid green color of tea. Then, tea leaves are dried by removing the water content slowly in a large drier. The leaves in this condition are called aracha or tencha aracha.

Stems and veins are removed from aracha and only the leaf part full of nourishment and palatability are left as ingredients. Specifically, aracha is refined in a process of size- sorting, air sorting, re-drying, electrical sorting, and color sorting.

Refined tencha is delivered to the matcha factory. Micron-sized matcha is produced using tea grinders in a manufacturing room under constant temperature and humidity 24 hours a day. High-class matcha for tea ceremony is ground very carefully so one tea grinder can only produce 40 grams per hour.

Ground matcha is packed after final inspection. Only products that pass the final inspection are kept fresh and delivered across Japan and worldwide.

Okonomiyaki Osaka - How to make a perfect Okonomiyaki

Osaka style Okonomiyaki is found throughout Japan and famous among first time visitors especially around Kansai area. The dish is affordable and I love to visit the Okonomiyaki restaurant as and when I step foot in Kansai. The staff is usually very skillful and service oriented that makes our stay each and every time pleasant. I happen to visit the Okonomiyaki restaurant last week, summer heat and lots of guests patronizing the restaurant. Some Okonomiyaki restaurants are grill-it-yourself establishments, where the server produces a bowl of raw ingredients that the customer mixes and grills at tables fitted with Teppan, or special hotplates. They may also have a diner-style counter where the cook prepares the dish in front of the customers.

When served with a layer of fried noodles (either yakisoba or udon), the resulting dish is called modan-yaki (モダン焼き), the name of which may be derived from the English word "modern" or as a contraction of mori dakusan(盛りだくさん?), meaning "a lot" or "piled high" signifying the volume of food from having both noodles and okonomiyaki.

Negiyaki (ねぎ焼き?) is a thinner variation of okonomiyaki made with a great deal of scallions, comparable to Korean pajeon and Chinese green onion pancakes.

Essential Ingredients of Okonomiyaki:

about 1/2 a large cabbage
2 cups flour (I use self-raising, my mother says plain flour)
2 2/3 cups water
4 eggs
2 tsp dashi powder (can be replaced by chicken stock powder)
Okonomi Sauce or Tonkatsu Sauce

Other ingredients than can be used:

About 6-8 short-cut bacon rashers (Thinly sliced pork is better but it's a little difficult to get in Australian supermarkets)
1 Tbsp beni-shouga (pickled ginger) chopped finely
1 large negi (shallots/scallions/spring onions) sliced thinly,
Japanese Mayonnaise
10g Katsuo-bushi
Ao-nori
Oil

Finely slice cabbage. (After slicing, bruising it by squeezing in your hands also helps soften it)

Mix flour, water, eggs in a large mixing bowl. Mix in dashi, pickled ginger and some negi. Add cabbage and combine well.

Heat a little oil in a frypan. Spoon Cabbage into the frypan, to make a circle about 22cm(9in) across and 1.5cm(3/4in) thick. Make sure there's enough batter to hold it together. Neaten the edges by using a spatula to push in the edges and any cabbage or batter that's sticking out.

Place thinly sliced pork on top (or bacon).

Cook over med-low heat about 5 min. Flip, then cook another 3-5 min. When cooked through, turn onto a plate, meat side UP. Spread sauce generously on top. Decorate with Mayonnaise, Katsuobushi and Ao-nori. Done!

How was Okonomiyaki invented ?

Okonomiyaki was invented in Japan prior to World War II and evolved and became popular during and after the war. The earliest origins of a basic crepe-like pancake date back to the Edo period (1683-1868) period where these were a special desert served at Buddhist ceremonies called Funoyaki. This then evolved during the Meiji period (1868-1912) into a sweeter dish called Sukesoyaki. During the 20's and 30's the dish continued to evolve with more emphasis put on the sauces added and the name Yoshokuyaki began to be used. The name Okonomiyaki started in the late 30's in Osaka. 

In Hiroshima at this time a similar crepe-like food was popular - it was topped with onions, folded over, and served to children as a snack item. Okonomiyaki, in it's different variations, started to become more popular during the war when rice became scarce and residents had to be creative in using other more readily available ingredients. The simple wheat pancake fit the bill and during and after the war, people started to add more ingredients such as eggs, pork, and cabbage. A restaurant from Osaka claims to have been the first to add Mayonnaise in 1946.