I was recently sent some Matcha Green Tea from OMGTEA. Having only tried matcha once before in the form of a latte I wanted to experiment a little. As I was with turmeric a few weeks ago, I guess I am a little late to the matcha party. Not because I didn’t want to try it but because where I live in Devon we are always a little bit behind the newest foodie trends.
I have to say now I have had a chance to experiment with matcha, most of my meals are now tinged a ‘Kermit The Frog’ green! I have made matcha latte’s, matcha cake, matcha porridge and these matcha pancakes. All will become recipes on the blog soon enough so don’t panic!
Matcha is the finely ground powder of specially grown and processed green tea. It is special in two aspects of farming and processing: the green tea plants for matcha are shade-grown for about three weeks before harvest, and the stems and veins are removed in processing. During shaded growth, the plant Camellia sinensis produces more theanine and caffeine. This combination of chemicals is considered to account for the calm energy people might feel from drinking matcha. The powdered form of matcha is consumed differently from tea leaves or tea bags, and is dissolved in a liquid, typically water or milk or in this case a pancake batter!
Matcha Green Tea is high in antioxidants which aid in protecting our skin from harmful UV rays giving us an appearance of younger looking skin.. who doesn’t need that? Matcha Green Tea also aids calm, helps you burn calories faster, detoxifies the body and boosts memory and concentration. These are all positive things in my book. Younger looking skin and better memory are definitely two of the many things that I hope to gain by adding Matcha Green Tea to my diet!
These pancakes are a fun and inventive way of adding a little bit of Matcha magic to your diet. Deliciously quick and easy to make. A show stopper at any breakfast or brunch.
- 1 egg
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil (plus more for the frying pan)
- 1 very ripe banana mashed with a fork
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup flour
- 1 tablespoon matcha powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- Pinch salt
- In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, vegetable oil, banana and vanilla extract. Add the flour, matcha powder, baking powder, and salt. Then whisk until the batter comes together.
- Heat a frying pan over medium-low heat. Brush with vegetable oil or butter.
- Using a 1/4 cup measure, dollop circles of pancake batter into the frying pan. Wait until bubbles appear and pop on the surface, then flip the pancakes and cook for another minute or so.
- Stack pancakes and serve hot with butter and maple syrup. Or why not try some thick natural yoghurt and berry compot!? I love the contrast of the green matcha pancakes and the reds and burgundies of the berries. Play around with the toppings.. let's make breakfast time fun!
Disclaimer; I was asked by OMGTEA to create some recipes using a sample of their Matcha Green Tea. I was not paid for this post.