Are you in love with matcha? if not, here’s one way you can start a new love affair – with Japanese style matcha purin! Full of delicate flavor, this matcha green
Matcha (Japanese powdered green tea )
Are you into
Whoever thought of making matcha desserts like matcha cookies, matcha ice cream, matcha cupcakes is genius.
While I love traditiona matcha green
In particular, as a sweet dessert.
Have you had any yet?
There are so many matcha recipes out there, aren’t there.
Yes there are.
So how do you choose and find one that works?
Well, if you’ve been cooking or baking for a while, you’ve probably developed a sense for what’s good and what’s not.
Everyone else?
It’ll come.
Just gotta be patient if you’re starting out!
Whether you’ve got years of experience or not, today I’m sharing one of my favorite matcha desserts!
Matcha purin! (Japanese style custard pudding with matcha
Matcha purin 抹茶プリン
This matcha purin isn’t that sweet on it’s own because I don’t like matcha anything that sweet.
If I wanted something super sweet I’d just eat straight honey or sugar.
Hello sugar cubes!
I loved eating those when I was a kid and still do!
You know Winnie the Pooh right?
Honey out of the jar?
That’s me.
Especially when there are different varietals (bees have fed off different flowers), and I get to taste all the different nuances in flavor!
So much fun!
Anyway, like I said, matcha desserts and baked goods? I don’t like ’em sweet.
What about you?
Well, if you do, you can adjust this matcha recipe and make it as sweet as you like.
But, before you do that, remember we’re topping the matcha purin off with kuromitsu (syrup made with black sugar from Okinawa)
So while the purin might not be super sweet, the kuromitsu syrup is.
So maybe you won’t need to sweeten the matcha purin after all!
How about that?
In case you didn’t know why it’s spelled purin…
Japanese purin (pronounced the way its spelled) is one of those borrowed English words (of which there are many in Japanese).
It’s traditionally served with a caramel syrup and is a very good way to satisfy a sweet tooth.
If you’re ever visiting or considering a visit Japan I’d highly recommend trying it in Hokkaido.
Hokkaido is famous for not only seafood, but also dairy.
So it’d be a good place for you to try any dairy products, including traditional purin with caramel!
While I love the traditional purin, I’d say matcha purin is just as good.
So they’re tied for first place in my book.
Matcha gives the purin a nice gentle pastel green while adding a smooth matcha flavor in each bite.
The milk and egg make it quite creamy and thick.
And because it has
But who knows. Is it really? ha!
who cares, it tastes good!
YOLO!
The other best parts about this matcha dessert?
It not only tastes good, but also only requires a few ingredients and is quick to make!
Culinary grade (cooking grade) matcha vs ceremonial (drinking) matcha
If you’re familiar with matcha, you might know there are many different types/grades of matcha.
At the most basic level there are two you should be concerned with – matcha for drinking and matcha for cooking.
Matcha for drinking can get quite pricey for the highest grades, think of a little can (20 grams worth of matcha) costing over $100 USD.
It tastes awesome at that level, but it’s not something you should be baking or using in a dessert.
Rather, high end matcha should be enjoyed as
At least in my opinion. What do you think?
Cooking matcha is generally much cheaper .
And I haven’t really found the flavor to be that different when using a low grade drinking matcha or cooking grade matcha.
So don’t worry if you can’t find culinary or cooking matcha, just use what you can.
One thing you need to check though is that what you’re getting is actually matcha
Given how popular matcha is these days, there are all kinds of matcha products out there.
Some of the ‘matcha powder’ or ‘matcha
That way you won’t end up with a disaster in your kitchen!
Tip – real matcha is a Japanese product and you should make sure it’s a Product of Japan.
How to serve the matcha purin
- top with kuromitsu like we did today. this is the same kuromitsu i make and use for my kinako ice cream. and warabi mochi among other desserts. it’s pretty versatile!
- top with plain or sweetened whipped cream
- serve with azuki (sweet red bean)
- serve with vanilla ice cream
Tips for making the matcha purin a success
- use culinary grade matcha from Japan like the Aiya matcha we used
- you can always add sugar, but you can’t take it out. i don’t really like my sweets super sweet, so i use 1/4 cup for this recipe. i find that adds just the right amount of sweetness. taste the custard base for sweetness before you cook the custard completely, you may be able to add in a tablespoon of sugar or two if you like things extremely sweet
- use a thermometer to check the temperature (165-175F) so you know the egg has custard has been cooked.
- when making the custard use medium to low heat and cook slowly to avoid scorching or cooking the sides and not the center
- since we’re steaming the custard (to finish cooking it), i measure out enough water in the second pot so that the water level is at least half-way up the canning jars (see pic above)
- while you make the custard heat the other pot with water bring to a gently simmer (this is so you can put the custard in while hot)
- allow to cool completely to set, thought it’s tempting to want to eat right away while slightly warm, it won’t firm up all the way until it’s been chilled
Wanna see exactly how I put the matcha purin together?
Watch this video – Matcha Purin | Japanese style custard pudding with matcha
What’s your favorite way to eat matcha?
lmk in the comments!
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Matcha Purin (Japanese style custard pudding with green tea)
Are you in love with matcha? if not, here’s one way you can start a new love affair – with Japanese style matcha purin! Full of delicate flavor, this matcha green tea based pudding has just the right amount of sweetness. Each bite is filled with the essence of matcha and a little kuromitsu (Okinawan black sugar syrup) for an additional layer of flavor. If you’re looking for a new way to use your matcha tea powder, here’s one Japanese dessert that you can use it for!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 5 people 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cup whole milk
- 3 large eggs
- 1 egg yolk
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tsp Vanilla
- 1 1/2 Tbsps matcha powder
Instructions
- Combine milk, eggs, egg yolk, sugar and vanilla using an immersion blender.
- Using a medium saucepan on medium heat, bring the egg milk mixture to a gentle simmer and cook until 165-175F.
- Remove from meat and combine with vanilla and matcha powder until thoroughly blended. (Use blender to ensure mixture is smooth)
- Add custard base to 5-6 canning jars and set in a warm water bath in a pot or saucepan large enough to accommodate all the jars. The water level should be at least halfway up the jar. Bring the water to a simmer and cover.
- Steam the jars for at least 15 minutes on low heat. Once the top appears cooked, remove from water bath and allow to cool.
- Eat as is or top with your favorite topping – kuromitsu, whipped cream, powdered sugar, azuki, or ice cream!
That Okinawan black sugar syrup sounds interesting. I recently ran across the idea of Okinawan taco rice and inari which I’m going to give a shot.
I’ve only bought matcha powder once … as good a quality cooking matcha as I could afford. It cost me over $20 for a small jar. And it was sort of green-gray colour. The flavour was ok but didn’t really convince me to buy it again. Unfortunately, shipping costs to Canada from most places almost doubles the cost by the time you figure in exchange rate and possible duty if your package is tagged so I’m unlikely to buy it again.
I made shortbread type cookies (disappointingly tasteless and dry, blame the recipe), Hokkaido milk bread (ok), panna cotta (good), crepes (ok) and truffles (tasty).
https://a-boleyn.livejournal.com/tag/matcha
taco rice is delicious! not that well known unless youve been to Okinawa, how did you hear about it? matcha powder is expensive because its made from high grade green tea, it might depend on the way you prepare it but the flavor is much more subtle as compared to drinking matcha tea. that might be a better route to go if you want to get a good taste (if you like drinking tea). you seem to have extensive japanese cooking experience, have you been there also?
Sadly, I’ve never been to Japan though I’d love to. I subscribe to a YouTube channel called TabiEats. Some interesting Japanese foods get presented there.
I like drinking matcha tea although, as you said, the taste is very subtle. Matcha ice cream served in sushi restaurants is pretty amazing so I wanted to try it in other things. I’ve made matcha panna cotta with it and added it to crepes.
maybe one day! yes i’m familiar with their channel also. what other teas do you like to drink?
Earl Gray, chai tea, Turkish mint.
I’m mostly a coffee drinker … instant Nescafe and the occasional espresso.
does turkish mint taste different from spearmint?
I really can’t tell the difference.
howd you come across it? have you been to turkey?
I grow spearmint in my garden and have bought a loose leaf tea blend at Bulk Barn that is labelelled Turkish mint tea with dried mint in it. I don’t know that the MINT itself is Turkish. I believe they’re calling it that based on the fact that that particular blend of tea and mint is served/popular in Turkey. I’ve made tea by steeping loose leaf black tea with fresh spearmint and compared it to the dried tea blend I buy. That’s what I meant when I said I couldn’t tell the difference. I meant to 🙂
PS: I posted some pictures on my LiveJournal of the tea blend and the mint tea I made.
https://a-boleyn.livejournal.com/235842.html
PS: When you buy fresh mint from the grocery store, you can just put a few stalks into a glass of water. You’ll be surprised how quickly it roots without any additional help and then you can transplant it into a container and grow your own. I understand that you shouldn’t try to plant it in your garden as it spreads … a LOT. 🙂