Matcha is a green tea that became popular in 8th century China and has been used widely in both Chinese and Japanese culture ever since. We share easy ways on how to use matcha.  

Going Green

It has recently been introduced into western culture and is often enjoyed as a latte but is traditionally brewed with water. Matcha has a unique savoury, earthy taste, and many health benefits.  

It is also often used in cooking and baking to add extra depth to dishes. Want to switch up your pastas or create a delicious butter or dip? Include matcha to the mix and you will not be sorry! 

Matcha pancakes with whipped coconut cream

SERVES 4–6 // COOKING TIME 40 min  

Give your pancakes a flavour – and health – boost with just one tablespoon of matcha. 

INGREDIENTS

For the pancakes
2 cups flour
4 tsp baking powder
1 Tbsp matcha
½ tsp salt
1 cup milk
2 eggs
5 Tbsp sugar
1½ Tbsp coconut oil, melted, plus extra for frying
1 tsp vanilla essence 

For the whipped coconut cream
400 ml coconut cream, refrigerated overnight
1 cup icing sugar
Toasted coconut flakes, to serve 

METHOD

For the pancakes
1. Sift together the flour, baking powder, matcha and salt.
2. Whisk together the milk, eggs, sugar, coconut oil and vanilla essence.
3. Make a well in the dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients, whisking until smooth.
4. Heat the coconut oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat. Add 2 Tbsp batter and fry for 2 minutes, then flip and fry for 2 minutes. 

For the whipped coconut cream
1. Separate the thick white coconut cream from the clear liquid.
2. Whisk the sugar and vanilla essence into the coconut cream.
3. Serve the matcha pancakes with whipped coconut cream on the side and a sprinkle of coconut flakes. 

Matcha Muffins

matcha powder
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg 

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 180°C.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the matcha, salt, baking powder and flour.
3. In a separate bowl, mix butter, sugar, eggs until light and fluffy.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the butter-egg mixture. Mix to form a soft batter.
5. Spoon the batter into a greased muffin tray and bake for 20–25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of a muffin comes out
6. clean.
7. Serve warm.  

The post How to add matcha to almost everything appeared first on MyKitchen.

We know that with the school holidays around the corner, you’ll need to find a way to keep the little ones busy, as well as keeping the peace while making sure everyone is fed copious amounts of delicious food! We whip up some delectable brunch themed recipes and include tasks that the kids can do to help put these meals together.  

Bacon and egg muffins  

Makes 12 • Total Time 35 Min (Plus 1 Hr Freezing Time) 

Ingredients 

7 medium eggs
250g streaky bacon
1 Tbsp chopped thyme
¼ cup maple-flavoured syrup or golden syrup
2 cups cake flour
1 tbsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1¼ cups buttermilk or plain yoghurt
¼ cup butter, melted
2 tbsp chopped chives plus extra for garnishing
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
1 spring onion, thinly sliced lengthways

Method 

1. Place 6 eggs in boiling water and cook for 4 minutes. Remove and plunge in iced water. 
2. Carefully peel eggs and place them upright into an empty egg carton lined with clingfilm. 4. Freeze eggs for an hour. 
3. Chop bacon and fry in a hot pan for 5-7 minutes or until crispy. 
4. Stir through thyme and syrup and remove pan from heat. 
5. Preheat oven to 180°C. 
6. Sift flour and baking powder together and add salt. 
7. Whisk remaining egg with butter and buttermilk or yoghurt. 
8. Add dry ingredients and combine. 
9. Fold through half the cooked bacon, chives and cheese. 
10. Dollop a tablespoon of mixture into the base of each greased muffin cup. 
11. Nestle an egg upright in the centre 
12. Cover each egg with batter and sprinkle with chives. Bake for 15 minutes. 15. Serve muffins topped with bacon and garnish with spring onion. 

For the little chef: Get the young ones to sift the dry ingredients, whisk the wet ingredients and combine the batter.  

Battered fish hotdogs  

Serves 4 • Total Time 20-30 Min

Ingredients 

canola or sunflower oil for deep-frying
1 cup flour
½ tsp salt
½ tsp baking powder
handful parsley or coriander, chopped
1 cup soda water or beer
300g sustainable white fish, cut into strips
4 hotdog rolls, halved
handful shredded lettuce, rocket or spinach
1 tsp sesame seeds
handful fresh coriander
1 red onion, thinly sliced (or pickled)
3-4 Tbsp sriracha sauce
1/3 cup mayonnaise

Method 

1. Heat the oil in a deep pot. 
2. Combine flour, salt, baking powder and herbs. 
3. Stir through beer or soda water to create a smooth batter. 
4. Dry fish with kitchen paper and season well. 
5. Dip fish in batter and fry in batches for about 5-6 minutes or until golden and cooked through. 
6. Drain fish on kitchen paper and lightly season. 
7. Fill the buns with the salad leaves and fish. 
8. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and coriander, and top with thinly sliced onions. 
9. Whisk the sriracha and mayonnaise together and serve on the side.

For the little chef: Get the kids to stir the batter and dip the fish (be warned: it will get messy!).  

Salt rubbed steak skewers with salsa  

Serves 4 • Total Time 20 Min (Plus 1 Hr Marinating Time)  

Ingredients 

FOR THE STEAK
2 rump, porterhouse or rib eye steaks
¼ cup coarse salt
milled black pepper

FOR THE GREMOLATA TOMATOES
2 punnets cherry tomatoes, halved
½ red onion, chopped
¼ cup olive or canola oil
handful coriander, chopped
handful parsley, chopped
1 garlic clove, grated
1 lemon, zested and juiced
salt and milled black pepper

Method 

1. Slice steak into 3-4cm chunks and coat with salt. 
2. Leave for an hour at room temperature. 
3. Combine gremolata ingredients and leave to infuse for 30 minutes. 
4. Remove steak from salt and brush off the excess. 
5. Thread steak onto skewers and season with pepper. 
6. Braai or grill over high heat for about 3 minutes on each side for a medium-rare steak. 
7. Remove from the heat, cover and rest for 10 minutes. 
8. Serve with gremolata. 

For the little chef: Tiny cooks will enjoy rubbing the steak with salt and threading it onto skewers. 

The post Brunch Ideas Your Kids Can Help With appeared first on MyKitchen.

Let Martjie Malan tell you about the way her gran made biscuits, the night a fig tart stole the show and why we need to create more moments to ‘refresh out souls’. Sjaan van der Ploeg delves into the fantastical world of Martjie’s first cookbook.  

Paging through Baking Secrets: Recipes for Every Occasion ignites the same childhood delight of paging through a storybook. You can’t wait to see what will unfold on the next page. Martjie Malan ‘has been involved in baking since she could reach the stovetop.’  

A teacher by profession, she was a part of the production of the baking TV programme Koekedoor in 2015. Since then, she has become the co-content and kitchen director of two children’s cooking and baking reality shows, as well as the founder of a cooking school for adults and children.  

This deep passion for baking and sharing knowledge dovetails in this cookbook. The beautiful collection of recipes and stories pulls you into a fantastical world of tarte tartin, lemon tea loaves and classic scones. French pastry is the backbone of this book, but Martjie’s warmth makes learning the classic techniques fun.  

From pretty petit fours, buttermilk rusks and mince pies, she caters to both the beginner and patisserie connoisseur alike. The warmth behind these pages evokes feelings of comfort and encouragement. Martjie’s presence can be felt, whisking readers through her informative baking tips, tricks and industry explanations.  

She dishes secrets on which ingredients work best and how to ensure the best baking result. She then dives, spatula-first, into baking basics such as achieving a golden pastry, a tangy lemon curd and a candied nut praline. All without failing to entertain with a personal anecdote before each recipe.  

Artist Claudia Liebenberg’s delicate watercolour illustrations of Martjie’s bakes evoke emotions rather than a standard of perfection. These paintings are also of help to those who might feel intimidated by the ‘perfect’ styled photographs in most contemporary cookbooks.  

They remove any pressure to replicate Martjie’s bakes down to the tee and, combined with her warm encouragement, will serve to boost confidence and creativity. With recipes that will teach and inspire your inner child, this cookbook will challenge you, inspire you and remind you of nostalgic bakes that will always warm hearts.  

As Martjie’s mantra goes: ‘Bake to remember, bake to forgive, bake to cherish and bake to love.’  

Courgette and raisin muffins
Makes 12–18 Muffins • Total Time 20–25 Min

Ingredients
Self-raising flour 185g
Wholewheat self-raising flour 150g
Brown sugar 155g
Buttermilk 375ml
Eggs, beaten 2
Sunflower oil 2 tbsp
Courgettes, coarsely grated 250ml
Raisins 125ml
Walnuts, roughly chopped 100g (optional)  

Top tip: Cour-what? Don’t worry! Courgettes, baby marrows and zucchini are all the same vegetable and add fibre and flavour to sweet and savoury bakes.  

 Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. 
2. Spray the inside of paper muffin cups with non-stick spray before placing them in muffin pans. 
3. Place the flours and the sugar in a big mixing bowl and combine. 
4. In a separate bowl, beat the buttermilk, eggs and sunflower oil until combined. 
5. Make a hollow in the dry ingredients and pour in the buttermilk mixture. 
6. Mix with a wooden spoon until just mixed – don’t be tempted to stir too much. 
7. Add the courgettes, raisins and walnuts and mix through carefully. 
8. Spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin pans and bake for 20–25 minutes.

Butter cake
Serves 8-10 • Total Time 90 Min
 

Ingredients
Cake flour 270g
Baking powder 20ml
Salt 1/2 tsp
Butter 250g
Castor sugar 270g
Eggs 5
Milk 50ml  

 Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180˚C. Grease and line two round 20cm cake pans. 
2. Sift all the dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. 
3. Cream the butter and sugar together in an electric cake mixer. 
4. Add the eggs one by one and scrape off the sides of the mixing bowl as necessary. 
5. Add a third of the dry ingredients while mixing at a slow speed. 
6. Add half of the milk and then another third of the dry ingredients. Repeat this process once more. 
7. Mix the batter well, making sure that the batter at the bottom of the mixing bowl has also been combined. 
8. Divide the batter between the cake pans and bake for 40–50 minutes. 
9. Allow the cakes to cool a little before turning out on a wire rack to cool completely. 
10. Using a cake cutter, cut off the domed tops and divide the cake into layers. Decorate with the icing of your choice.

 Top tip: We suggest decorating the cake with either cream cheese icing, butter icing or even a simple sprinkle of icing sugar.  

Baking Secrets: Recipes for Every Occasion (R450) is available from all good bookstores.  

The post Review: Baking Secrets By Martjie Melan appeared first on MyKitchen.

There’s nothing wrong with craving baked goods in the morning, and if you whip up a batch of our breakfast muffins this weekend, you can have just that.

SERVES 12 // COOK TIME 45 mins

INGREDIENTS
1 tbsp psyllium husk
1 cup milk
2½ cups rolled oats (not quick-cooking), lightly toasted, extra to decorate
2–3 overripe bananas, mashed
2 large eggs, beaten
¼ cup honey or 2 tbsp xylitol
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp cinnamon
½ cup dried fruits and nuts (optional)

METHOD
1. Preheat oven to 180°C and grease a muffin tin.
2. Soak the psyllium husk in ½ cup milk.
3. Blend 1½ cups oats until finely ground. Leave the rest whole.
4. Mix mashed bananas, eggs, sweetener, vanilla, remaining ½ cup milk and the soaked psyllium husk.
5. Add the baking powder, salt, bicarb and cinnamon to the wet ingredients and mix until just incorporated. Leave to soak for a few minutes. Fold in the dried fruits and nuts (if using).
6. Scoop into the muffin tray, sprinkle with extra oats and press down to stick. Bake for 20–25 minutes.

Maize meal is one of our country’s favourite food staples. It’s inexpensive and oh-so-easy to cook or bake with – like in these yummy spinach muffins.

The post Breakfast muffins appeared first on MyKitchen.

Freeze these savoury cheesy muffins with Peppadew, tomato and feta in airtight containers and defrost one when you feel like having a snack.

MAKES 12 // COOKING TIME 50 min

INGREDIENTS
For the nut crumble
¼ cup wholewheat flour
2 tbsp olive oil
¼ cup walnuts
2 tsp chopped parsley
1 tsp lemon zest
For the cheesy muffins
2 cups wholewheat flour
2½ tsp baking powder
1 cup milk
2 eggs
1 tbsp olive oil
⅓  cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
½ cup crumbled feta
⅓  cup Peppadews, chopped
1 tbsp parsley
1 tbsp chopped chives

METHOD
For the nut crumble
1. Rub the flour and olive oil together until crumbly.
2. Mix through the remaining ingredients and set aside.
For the cheesy muffins
1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Line a muffin tray
2. Mix flour, baking powder, and some salt and pepper together.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs and olive oil. Add to the dry ingredients and mix until well combined.
4. Fold through all of the remaining ingredients.
5. Spoon the batter into the prepared tray and top with the nut crumble.
6. Bake for 25–30 minutes, until cooked through.

Recipe & styling: Jezza-Rae Larsen
Photography: K-Leigh Siebritz // HMimages.co.za

Did someone say health check? If you’re keen for a more filling breakfast, go for our savoury caprese salad waffles!

The post Savoury cheesy muffins with Peppadew, tomato and feta appeared first on MyKitchen.

Buckwheat is not as common as other grains, but it’s loaded with nutrients! Go for a healthy morning meal with these buckwheat breakfast muffins.

MAKES 12 // COOKING TIME 45 min

INGREDIENTS
½ cup oats
1½ cups buckwheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp salt
⅔  cup yoghurt
⅓  cup vegetable oil
2 bananas, mashed
4 tbsp honey
3 eggs, beaten
½ cup blueberries
¼ cup almond flakes

METHOD
1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease and line a 12-hole muffin tray.
2. Pulse the oats in a food processor until they resemble a coarse flour.
3. Mix with the remaining dry ingredients.
4. In a separate bowl, mix the yoghurt, oil, bananas, honey and eggs. Fold into the dry ingredients until just combined. Gently fold in the blueberries.
5. Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared tray and top each with a sprinkling of almond flakes.
6. Bake for 20–25 minutes, until cooked through.

Recipe: Nicola Naudé
Styling: Kate Turner
Photography: Samantha Pinto // HMimages.co.za

Buckwheat your new favourite grain? Try these spiced speculaas buckwheat cookies.

The post Healthy buckwheat breakfast muffins for the family appeared first on MyKitchen.