Tea, But Not Tea: Culinary Uses for Powdered Teas

 

Powdered teas can be incredible in culinary uses, if the tea is right. For a little bit of warm-weather inspiration, our own Tim F got together with his neighbors Dan (from our neighbor Dalva) and Chef Spencer Horovitz to make a quick roundup of recipes using our exceptional powdered matcha and hojicha, both sourced for us in Uji, Kyoto, Japan.

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Matcha Grilled Corn Cobettes with Kewpie Mayo & Yuzukararin—by Tim Ferron

Charred corn, cut into halves lengthwise and widthwise into short cobettes, tossed in a bright matcha-lime mayo, finished with a drizzle of kewpie mayo and a dusting of yuzukararin a flavorful hand-ground concoction of green yuzu peels, dry-roasted red chili, and salt for a smoky, citrusy, umami bite

Ingredients

Corn

• 4 ears of corn, husked

• 1 Tbsp neutral oil

Sauce

• 3 Tbsp kewpie mayo

• 1 tsp Bernal Cutlery Uji-matcha powder

• 1 lime, juiced

• 1 tsp rice vinegar

Toppings

• 2 Tbsp kewpie mayo (for topping/drizzle)

• 1 tsp Bernal Cutlery yuzukararin

• 0.3 tsp fine sea salt

 

Method

1. Heat the grill. Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium-high heat.

2. Cut the corn. After husking and cleaning the corn, slice each ear in half lengthwise, then in half widthwise, to get four short cobettes per ear.

3. Char the corn. Rub all the cobettes in neutral oil and grill, turning occasionally, until deeply charred in spots and tender, about 10–12 minutes.

4. Make the matcha mayo. While the corn grills, whisk together kewpie mayo, matcha powder,  lime juice, rice vinegar, and sea salt in a small bowl until smooth and pale green.

5. Sauce the corn. Brush or spoon the matcha-lime mayo generously over the cut cobettes while still hot, coating the exposed kernel faces, and cook for a couple more minutes.

6. Finish and serve. Drizzle with the remaining kewpie mayo in a zigzag pattern, then dust generously with yuzukararin yuzu chili seasoning. Serve immediately.

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Sick in Japan—by Daniel Robles

Daniel Robles runs the cocktail program of Dalva and the Hideout on 16th Street in the Mission, right around the corner from Bernal Cutlery. He is a graduate of the CIA in San Antonio, Texas, and has worked at the Progress, Pearl 6101, Josey Baker Bread, and more.

The "Sick in Japan" is a popular order at Dalva, and is a milk-clarified riff on the classic Penicillin cocktail. This recipe yields eight (soothing) drinks.

Ingredients

• 8 oz Scotch

• 4 oz Japanese Whiskey (Suntory Toki)

• 4 oz Cocchi Americano 

• 4 oz Lemon juice 

• 4 oz Honey syrup (1:1 honey to water)

• 2 oz Ginger syrup (1:1:1 of blended ginger, sugar, water, by weight)

• 4 oz  Hojicha tea blend (brew 4 g Bernal Cutlery Uji-hojicha powder and 2 g Lapsang souchong tea in 4 oz water)

• 4 oz Milk 

• 1 Tbsp Shio Koji 

• 1 Tbsp Yuzukararin spice tincture (2 oz of spice blend steeped for a day in 8 oz of everclear then filtered through a fine strainer)

Method

1. Make Hojicha. Mix the Hojicha powder thoroughly in hot water, then add Lapsang souchong and steep for 30 minutes. Blend.
2. Mix the rest. While steeping, blend all ingredients except milk.
3. Heat milk. Gently, until you see a bit of steam on the sides. Approximately 2–3 minutes on medium. 
4. Add warmed milk to combined ingredients and let mixture curdle for 30 minutes minimum.
5. Strain curdled milk mixture through a strainer with a conical paper filter, or even multiple paper towels if you don’t have a paper filter. Let gravity do its work and let it drip til the drink runs clear and re-filter whatever liquid is cloudy.
6. Pour over a big ice cube and enjoy! 
   
   

Matcha Gotcha! (N/A)—by Daniel Robles

The "Matcha Gotcha" is a fun drink without any booze. Pre-make the matcha-guava-corn syrup for ease of making drinks to order, and don't forget to save that corn husk for the garnish!

Ingredients

• 1.5 oz Matcha-guava-corn syrup (this is the main part of the work; see steps 1–4)

  • ~100 g Guava puree (easy to do in a blender)
  • ~100 g Sugar
  • 200 g Corn (save the husk!)
  • 10 g Bernal Cutlery Uji-matcha powder (plus more to finish)

   

• 1 Pinch of salt

• 0.75 oz Lime juice 

• 1.5 oz Tonic water

• 1 oz Pathfinder N/A amaro

• Crushed ice

Method

1. Make guava syrup. Mix equal parts guava puree and water with sugar equal to weight of the puree + water (1:1:2).
2. Add the corn. 200 g corn to 8 oz of guava syrup.
3. Add the matcha. Add 10 g matcha powder and blend the whole mixture together for 4 minutes on high.
4. Strain through a fine strainer. 
5. Add crushed ice, straw, corn husk garnish.
6. Float N/A amaro on the drink.
7. Finish with matcha powder on the top.
   
   

Black Sesame Matcha Babka—by Spencer Horovitz

Chef Spencer Horovitz is a San Francisco-based chef formerly at Itria, Al’s Place, The Progress, The Restaurant at Meadowood, among others.  He now embarks on his own concept, Hadeem, which explores California Jewish cuisine, taking inspiration from the culinary diversity of the Jewish diaspora and fond childhood memories in multicultural Los Angeles. Find him on Instagram, @platos_locos. 

“There are so many great ways to use matcha in a dessert, so I wanted to lean into something that felt really familiar. I was really impressed with how much the flavor of the matcha and the super fine texture incorporated into the filling and the dough. Black sesame felt like a perfect flavor to pair with matcha. I think the secret here is adding flavor to the syrup you use to glaze the babka. Shout out to fixfeastflair.com for the inspo.”

Sized for a standard 9″x5″ loaf pan. Volume measurements are approximate home kitchen conversions. Yeast and salt are given in exact grams, since small errors there matter more for fermentation and seasoning. 

Ingredients

Dough

• Flour (AP), 495 g, about 4 cups 
• Milk, 105 g, about 7 Tbsp 
• Cream, 35 g, about 2½ Tbsp 
• Whole eggs, 106 g, about 2 large eggs 
• Egg yolks, 59 g, about 3 large yolks 
• Brown sugar, 30 g, about 2 Tbsp 
• Granulated sugar, 35 g, about 3 Tbsp 
• Salt, 7 g 
• Butter, softened (raw), 65 g, about 4½ Tbsp 
• Butter, browned and cooled to ~70°F, 45 g, about 3 Tbsp 
• Dry active yeast, 6 g 
• Ice, 7 g, about 1–2 small cubes 
• Vanilla paste, 5 g, about 1 tsp 
• Milk powder, 5 g, about 2 tsp 
• Bernal Cutlery Uji-matcha powder, 18 g, about 3 Tbsp

Black Sesame-Matcha Filling

• Unsalted butter, softened, 135 g, about 1 stick + 1½ Tbsp 
• Ground black sesame seeds, 267 g, about 9½ oz 
• Matcha powder, 9 g, about 1½ Tbsp 
• Granulated sugar, 235 g, about 1¼ cups 
• Salt, 5 g 

Egg Wash 

• 1 large egg 
• Milk, 1 Tbsp 

Topping 

• Pearl sugar, 2 Tbsp 
• Black sesame seeds, 1 Tbsp 
• Maldon salt, ½ tsp 

Babka Syrup 

• Water, 2 cups 
• Honey, ½ cup 
• Sugar, 2 cups 
• Green cardamom pods, 5 g, about 8–10 pods 
• Whole cloves, 4 
• Vanilla extract, 1 tsp 
• Lemon peel, from 1 lemon 
• Lemon juice, from about ¼ lemon
• Salt, ⅛ tsp 
  

Method 

1. Brown the butter. Brown the butter in a saucepan over medium heat, swirling occasionally, until it foams, smells nutty, and is no longer translucent. Pour into a bowl and let cool until it reaches about 70℉ before using. 
2. Autolyse. In a stand mixer bowl, combine the flour, milk powder, milk, cream, and whole eggs. Mix briefly just to bring together, then let sit for 10 minutes. 
3. Mix to develop dough. Mix on low speed for 5 minutes to bring the dough together and begin developing gluten. 
4. Add yeast. Add the yeast and mix for 1 minute.
5. Add sugars, yolks, and vanilla. Add the brown sugar, granulated sugar, egg yolks, and vanilla paste. Mix on speed 2 until fully incorporated, about 3 minutes. 
6. Add salt. Add the salt and mix for 2 minutes. 
7. Add ice. Add the ice and mix until fully incorporated. 
8. Add the butter. With the mixer running, slowly add the softened raw butter in pieces. Once incorporated, add the browned and cooled butter. Continue mixing until the dough passes the windowpane test. If the dough gets too warm at any point, transfer the bowl to the fridge for 10 minutes, then resume mixing. 
9. Add matcha. During this final mixing stage, add the matcha and mix until the color is fully and evenly incorporated into the dough. 
11. Bulk proof. Shape the dough into a ball, cover, and let proof at room temperature for 1 hour. 
12. Chill the dough. De-gas the dough, then refrigerate for at least 45 minutes (and up to 24 hours). 
13. Make the filling. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the softened butter, ground black sesame seeds, matcha, sugar, and salt. Mix until fully combined and evenly spreadable. 
14. Roll out the dough. On a lightly floured surface, roll the chilled dough into a rectangle roughly 1.25x the length and 3x the width of your 9″x5″ loaf pan. 
15. Spread the filling. Spread an even layer of the filling over the dough, edge to edge, in a consistent thickness. 
16. Roll and twist. Starting from the short side, roll the dough into a tight log. Cut the log straight down the middle lengthwise to expose the layers. Twist the two halves together, keeping the cut side facing up as much as possible. Pinch the ends together to seal. 
17. Place in the pan. Grease your loaf pan and gently lift the twisted dough into it. 
18. Make the egg wash. Whisk together the egg and milk until smooth. Brush a light, even layer over the top of the shaped babka. 
19. Final proof. Let the babka proof until it leaves an indentation when gently pressed with a finger and slowly bounces back. Timing varies with room temperature—go by feel, not a clock. Toward the end of this proof, preheat your oven to 350℉. 
20. Second egg wash and topping. Brush the babka one more time with egg wash. Sprinkle with pearl sugar, black sesame seeds, and Maldon salt. 
21. Bake, stage 1. Bake at 350℉ for 15 minutes.
22. Bake, stage 2. Without opening the oven, reduce the temperature to 325℉ and continue baking for 15–20 minutes, until a probe thermometer inserted into the center reads 195℉. 
23. Cool. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes before glazing. 
24. Make the syrup. Combine the water, honey, sugar, cardamom, cloves, vanilla extract, lemon peel, lemon juice, and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and reduce until the bubbles become tight and uniform, similar in consistency to maple syrup. Strain through a fine sieve before using. 
25. Glaze. While the babka is still warm, brush or pour the strained syrup generously over the top, letting it soak in.