It's freakin' hot here in Davao right now. I was trying to do some reading, but my mind is not cooperating because of the heat. I needed to do something to cool me down else my neurons will be fried. I was drearily bored of revisiting a thesis paper I'm being forced to finish, I can't focus!
Fruit shakes sounds enticing at this point, but I preferred something lighter and not too sticky-sweet. I remembered how I loved Starbucks's Green Tea Frappucino as a perfect chill drink for the dizzying heat in Cebu City. Since I'm currently a bum, I don't have money to spend on those professionally prepared drinks. Good thing I bought a pack of Sencha which costs about one green tea frappe from Starbucks. That pack have seen several cups of green tea, cookies, cupcakes and my current kitchen experiments; and I still have some left! Now that's money well spent.
Last time, I made Sencha powder from using the coffee grinder attachment of our blender. I used the same homemade powder to make this green tea. If you noticed there are some specks of leaves visible compared to what you may find from the coffee shops. Those in high-end coffee shops would probably be using genuine finely milled Matcha powder hence it's a bit pricey. Other lower-end shops offering the same would be using the commercial green tea powder mix, but I find those scary since there are a lot of additives I don't even know how to pronounce. So I'll stick with my homemade powder until I get a tin of authentic Matcha; at least I know what I'm drinking.
Last time, I made Sencha powder from using the coffee grinder attachment of our blender. I used the same homemade powder to make this green tea. If you noticed there are some specks of leaves visible compared to what you may find from the coffee shops. Those in high-end coffee shops would probably be using genuine finely milled Matcha powder hence it's a bit pricey. Other lower-end shops offering the same would be using the commercial green tea powder mix, but I find those scary since there are a lot of additives I don't even know how to pronounce. So I'll stick with my homemade powder until I get a tin of authentic Matcha; at least I know what I'm drinking.
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| Refreshing and light, perfect for the summer heat! |
SENCHA (GREEN TEA) SHAKE
INGREDIENTS
*makes 2 12 oz glasses.
2 tbsp Sencha powder
2/3 cup soya milk
1 tbsp sugar
a pinch of cinnamon
12 ice cubes
PROCEDURE
1. Pour soya milk, Sencha powder, cinnamon and sugar into a blender. Mix well.
2. Drop ice cubes about 2-3 at a time then pulse. Add more ice and pulse/shake until satisfied with the consistency.
3. Pour into a tall glass and enjoy.
I used less sugar so I had a semi-bitter shake with just a hint of sweetness coming from the soya milk. I chose soya milk because I think it compliments the grassy taste of Sencha, as both are from plant derivatives. It turned out nice, light, refreshing and cleaner to the palate compared with the coffee shop versions, which mainly used cream and glucose syrup in place of the soya milk and sugar and topped off with whipped cream. So it depends on your mood which one you'll go for, something creamy and comforting or something light and refreshing.
Of course drinks won't stand alone, you need something to munch on too. I mentioned before, that I made cupcakes out of Sencha; this time I made the same batter but poured it into lined rectangular baking pan and spread ground almonds on top. It brought about thin cakes, somewhat like pancakes, which I cut into small bars. I was actually thinking of making some filling and sandwiching it between 2 bars, then cover it with dripping royal icing much like Petit Fours; but of course that was too tedious for a hot day. I just settled for simple and thin cake bars good for snacking.
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| Thin chewy bars with subtle sweetness. |
SENCHA (GREEN TEA) CAKE
INGREDIENTS
3 eggs
1/3 cup oil
1/3 cup brewed Sencha Tea, cool to room temp.
1 1/3 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup + 3 tbsp sugar
2 1/2 tbsp Sencha powder
optional almond topping:
1/3 cup whole almonds
1/4 cup powdered sugar
2 tbsp flour
PROCEDURE
*Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and line a baking pan or cupcake molds.
1. Mix flour, baking powder, tea powder and in a small bowl. Set aside.
2. In a bigger bowl beat eggs, oil and tea until light yellow. Sift in dry ingredients. Mix well.
3. In a coffee grinder attachment, ground together whole almonds, powdered sugar and flour until mealy.
4. Pour green tea batter into baking pan/molds. Sift/distribute the ground almonds on top.
4. Bake for 30 minutes or toothpick test comes clean.
Hmmm... I wonder if there are other tea varieties that are equally versatile like Japanese green tea?
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