ICED STRAWBERRY MATCHA

Liquid motivation

Before we get into things, a quick note: I hope to keep this newsletter free for as long as possible, so it would mean so much to me if you supported my work by ordering my cookbook, Third Culture Cooking, which features 100+ flavorful recipes that reflect my third culture perspective. Find signed copies here. Now, onto the recipe..

In an effort to change up my routine after writing my cookbook, I decided a daily walk was a good place to start, and naturally, I needed a worthy destination to motivate me. And since nothing motivates me quite like food, Kijitora and their Strawberry Matcha was that place. If you spoke to me at all last year or even follow me on Instagram, chances are you’ve heard me wax on about my love for Kijitora’s Iced Strawberry Matcha (ordered with skim milk and less strawberry, so it’s not dessert). The walk there and back left me at a solid 8k steps and I journeyed often, so you know it’s something special.

I actually made my first strawberry matcha with fresh strawberries at home during the pandemic and shared the recipe on Instagram and TikTok (and now Subtack!). It was definitely good, but something about Kiji’s is just so strawberry.

For that level of flavor with my original recipe, I’d need to introduce strawberry essence (no, thank you), and increasing the amount of fresh strawberries would alter the viscosity of the beverage for worse (again, no). I contemplated cooking down the fresh fruit into a jammy syrup which seemed like a viable option, but felt like too much effort for a flavor that isn’t quite as fresh. The surprising solution: freeze dried strawberries. Small, dehydrated, and packed with flavor, they’re very easy to blend up with some water and sugar to create a syrupy-sauce hybrid that’s perfectly sweet and full of strawberry flavor. Add a little vanilla bean paste (optional) and you’re toeing the line of a candy-like strawberriness.

As for the matcha, I use Sorate’s Kusui Matcha, which is basically gold (high value in more ways than one-$$). I really appreciate the ritual so it’s worth it for me, but Blue Bottle surprisingly makes a great matcha that I use as a backup. Rocky’s is another tried and true crowd favorite. All of these have origins in Uji, which I’ve personally come to love for its nutty and smooth, almost-chocolatey flavor.

This recipe makes enough strawberry sauce for four servings of Iced Strawberry Matcha (or more, if you’re conservative on the strawberry). This is my primary use for it, but it is an all purpose sauce that would be great over ice cream or even greek yogurt.

A note on sweetness: As mentioned earlier, this isn’t a dessert-like beverage. However, increasing the sugar in the syrup to 4 tablespoons will make it taste that way. Three tablespoons of sugar (2 teaspoons sugar per serving) mimics the flavor of ripe, peak-season berries rather than a Nesquik or Hershey’s Strawberry Syrup (read: not artificial) without the need to sweeten the matcha. Although, going lighter on the sugar in the syrup (2 Tablespoons) and adjusting the sweetness directly in the matcha does offer more flexibility and allow you to tailor the sweetness to your preference in any given moment. Do with that what you will.

Makes 1 cup of syrup / 10 minutes

INGREDIENTS

For the strawberry sauce:

1, .7 or .8 oz. package of freeze dried strawberries (I’ve used this and this)

3 Tbsp. granulated sugar, use 2 for a milder sweetness or 4 for more intensity

1 cup water

⅛ tsp. Diamond Crystal kosher salt

¼ tsp. vanilla bean paste, optional

For a single serving of matcha:

1 tsp. (4g) high-quality, ceremonial-grade matcha

¼ cup warm water

Sugar or honey, optional

½ - ¾ cup milk

Ice, for serving

METHOD

For the strawberry sauce, add freeze dried strawberries, sugar, water, kosher salt, and vanilla bean paste, if using, to a blender. Blend, gradually increasing the speed, until smooth. Transfer sauce to an airtight jar and store in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.

For the matcha, sift matcha into a small bowl. Add water and sweetener, if using. With a bamboo whisk, whisk until matcha is frothy and completely dissolved, one minute. Add milk and whisk again to combine.

To make the strawberry matcha, add ¼ cup of the strawberry sauce to the bottom of a glass, fill it with ice, and pour over the matcha mixture. Serve immediately.