Mini Matcha Bunny Cakes

Easy as pie(which isn't actually that easy to make, so... easier than pie?), tasty, and cute.

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

In a large bowl mix 1c. flour, 1/3c. sugar, 3/4 Tbsp. industrial/cooking grade matcha, 1 tsp. soy butter, and 1c. hot water together into a green and slightly runny batter.

Spray the cooking pan or mold(s) of your choice(I obviously went with bunnies) with non-stick spray, then pour the batter in, distributing evenly if using more than one pan/mold. I used three at a time.

Bake for 20-30 minutes, give or take for your oven, do the 'fork test'(stick it in to see if it comes out clean) to test if they're finished.

When done, remove from the oven and let cool before removing them from the pan/mold.

Enjoy plain, or with a light sprinkling of powdered sugar, and a cup of hot sencha!

The Green Stuff

I said before I would post a picture of the new chawan with matcha in it, so here it is with some of Den's Tea's Matcha Kaze. Not the best matcha on the market, but for usucha(thin matcha) I can't complain.

I considered making this out into a post about how to prepare matcha, but then I noticed that Tales of Japanese Tea, Kohei, had posted a rather lovely video that covers pretty much everything you'd want to know about matcha preparation*, so I'll just link to him instead. ;p

*Well, for usucha. This is roughly how I prepare it, two scoops with 60ml of water. For koicha(thick matcha) you need both more scoops/less water as well as a higher quality matcha.

Ready, set... GROW!

Update from this post. If it were a race, I would not be optimistic for the catnip, though it is so cute and tiny.

Large Leaf from Old Trees Pu' erh

Got this as a sample from Chicago Tea Garden and it's nearly everything I like in a pu'erh.

The description:

"This pu-erh is made from the large leaves of old tea trees. It is aged in loose form, so there is no need to purchase a large cake. This tea is bold and earthy, with a smooth, sweet, lingering aftertaste. These leaves have been aging in a man-made pu-erh cave in the United States since the mid-90s."

It's got a strong earthy aroma and the brew, from the very first steep, has this rich, old flavor to match.

Took about half of the sample in a 160ml pot filled to ~100ml, think I'll see if it brews differently in a gaiwan for the latter half. Used water ranging from 205 to 195, the hotter producing stronger/shorter/darker brews, and poured into a ~140ml cup.

The only downfall was the longevity of the leaves, only about a day's worth of brewing and faster to require long steeps than other pu'erh I've encountered. Depending on your taste, there was a bit of dustiness to the first steep or so, even after having been rinsed. Also, I couldn't find any of the bitterness I've read about it in some reviews, and only ever got a little sweet around the fourth brew. Not sure if the lack of bitter is a pro or con for me, but the sweet was pleasant while it lasted.

Along with this and the Zealong Pure, I also received a sample of their Wu yu and the Camel's Breath Toucha. Have only gotten around to the Wu yu so far, but definitely enjoyed it. My first impression was that it tasted a little closer to a Japanese green than a Chinese, though as it progressed it grew more into that familiar Chinese green taste. Might order some eventually(newer harvest?), but for now my curiosity is sated.

Edit: Oh! And I've been repurposing decor/gardening things lately for my tea time. See: the candle stand that I found just the right size for a pot.

Kimchi Jjigae(김치찌개)

This is, in short, a soup/stew made using kimchi. It's very spicy and very delicious. Also, pretty easy to make.

Take a medium-sized pot and pour a little oil on the bottom and put over medium-high heat. Mince some garlic, chop some scallions(and maybe mushrooms and matchstick chop daikon), and cut about a half a block of tofu into one inch squares.

Toss all these things into the pot. While they cook, chop one-two cups of kimchi and, when done add it to the pot.

Use a fork/spoon/chopsticks to shift the items in the pot so nothing gets overcooked then, about a minute after adding the kimchi, add enough water to cover everything and either a dab of gouchujang(if the kimchi is new) or a quarter cup of kochukaru(for older kimchi). Bring it to a boil, stirring on occasion, then lower the heat and let simmer for 20 minutes to an hour.

If the water gets low, feel free to add more. Once done, I tend to add some fresh scallions on top and a pinch more of kochukaru. Serve with plain white rice and a little soy sauce to taste.

I tend to drink hot water with this, and most spicy foods, rather than tea. Hot, because that's how I drink it and it seems to work better than cold for spicy, and water because tea would be wasted to drink with this since you won't be able to taste it. ;p

New Chawan

Bought from MarshalN off TeaChat.

Quite pleased with it, so a quick photo following some matcha. Will likely post another photo, pre-drinking, sometime soon. Love the way matcha looks in it.

Zealong Pure

...and bunnies.

Zealong is oolong grown in New Zealand. I think I'd also like to try the Aromatic and Dark varieties, though for now I tried Pure, it having the most appealing description.

Used 195-200 degree water and about a third of the sample, from Chicago Tea Garden, in a 160ml gaiwan. The first ten steeps were rapid, pouring the water in then pouring it into the cup within a few seconds. Despite the speed, the first three steeps tasted a bit too strong, far too buttery with an astringent undertone.

However, once over that bump, it was rather delicious. Still buttery, though with a bit of a sweet floral note to it and a lovely scent to match.

So, it seems, New Zealand makes a pretty decent oolong. I'd recommend it.

That settled, for the curious, how the tea came to New Zealong:

"Zealong was established in 1996 in Rototuna, Hamilton, when its founder, Vincent Chen, brought 1500 seedlings from Taiwan. The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry/Biosecurity New Zealand (MAFBNZ), being one of the strictest in the world, quarantined the seedlings for 10 months. Only 130 of the strongest seedlings survived, and these were planted in New Zealand. Today, one million tea plants are harvested by hand three times per year, on a 120 acre farm in Gordonton."

[source]

1990s Malaysian-Stored Raw Puerh Brick

OTTI at TeaChat stands of 'Official Tea-Tasting Initiative'. Having only participated in two(or three, one was a double), my understanding of it is that vendors donate tea, the moderator of the board, Chip, and his wife sort and split up the tea into as many reasonably size portions as possible and then people on the board sign up and pay to have a sample shipped to them. Then, generally, members share their impressions of it.

All-in-all it's a great way to find teas one otherwise might have never looked at or been too intimidated to get into on their own. For me, the latter describes my going into OTTI #9: 90s pu'erh.

While I'd had pu'erh before in different forms(toucha, orange-stored, loose, and cake from new to 10+ years old), overall I find all the numbers and years and whatnot intimidating, so when presented with a chance to have a few lined right up and explained to me, I was definitely on board.

That said, on to the first one(second one on the page). Aside from the time frame, the 90s, an underlying theme of this OTTI was the difference between wet-stored pu'erh and dry-stored. This one is supposedly dry-stored.

First impression was optimistic. The dry leaf smell wasn't as earthy as I was used to from pu'erh though I wasn't sure if this was a good or bad sign.

I'd been told before 'if you like the leaf smell, you'll like the tea'. Let me just say, that's a lie. Also, it really doesn't help when you're not sure what the leaf really smells like. It wasn't something that made me think 'oh, yum' but it wasn't bad. Not earthy, but it still made me think of bark and the forest. Good enough.

After heating my pot/cups(running boiling water over/in them) I loaded up my pot with the leaf, did a quick rinse, and steeped for ~30 seconds at 195 degrees. The first steep was weak, generally tasteless and disappointing. Hardly any color, though the scent had proved promising.

For the second steep, I did it about the same amount of time, though the color was better and by the third, the flavor had really started to develop.

Astringent, but not in the overpowering way of an oversteeped Chinese green or some black teas. It was almost pleasant and encouraged me to keep drinking. It continued to smell faintly of bark, never fading, and around the seventh steep there started to be a tiny hint of sweetness to it.

Yet, with keeping the water around 195 degrees, though starting the first steep after walking away for a few hours at 205, and the steeps no longer than a minute or two, it never proved particularly strong in taste as I've experienced with other pu'erh. Despite this, it lasted about three days of drinking it on and off, easily over 20 steeps, with the last few pushing about five to ten minutes in length.

Not something I'd buy, though I'm still happy to have experienced it.

[leaf before and after steeping]

Box o' Kimchi

Tonight I've decided it's time to make more kimchi. In that regard, it's also time to get rid of the last of the last batch. So, bento to the rescue!

Nothing fancy as far as presentation goes, just my favorite rabbit box with kimchi bokkeumbap, kimchi mandu, a few small slices of cucumber, kimchi over white rice, and a small thing of soy sauce to splash over the mandu(when something includes kimchi I tend to use the Korean name for it, just wouldn't feel right not to).

All really quick and tasty. For kimchi bokkeumbap, aka kimchi fried rice, just take a large frying pan/wok, sprinkle some vegetable oil in and set on medium-high heat. While it gets up in temperature, mince one or two cloves of garlic and add it to the oil. Once the garlic starts to sizzle, add about a cup of kimchi and, optional, some chopped scallions and matchstick carrots/daikon.

Cook the kimchi for a few minutes, less than ten, more than two, then add in one to two cups of cooked white rice. Fry them together, using a spatula to fold the kimchi into the rice, until the rice starts to brown. Serve as is, tasty.

Kimchi mandu is, basically, mandu made with finely chopped kimchi as the filling.

As for how to make kimchi itself? I might take some pictures tonight to share, though I'm not sure I'm ready to post a how-to. I've made it many times though change it a little each time, trying to make it my kimchi. Though I do feel I should note that, as far as this blog goes, unless I say otherwise, it should be assumed that when I refer to kimchi I'm talking about napa cabbage kimchi.

Prepara Power Plant Mini - GO!

Okay, so this is only kinda related to food/tea, but my blog, my rules. Got these for sale from my work for roughly ~$8 a piece(ngl, never would have given them a shot at regular price: ~$30-40). Today I loaded them up for the first time, hope this goes well.

One on the left contains catnip, the one on the right is basil. Arbitrary choices.

Hope the sound of them being 'on' doesn't get on my nerves. Reminds me of the sound of my mother's indoor fountain thing. Might move them to the guest/storage room later.

Tea with Wonder Woman

Sometimes fancy cups are overrated.

Jiao zi(餃子)

...or mandu or potstickers or gyoza or momo-cha or dumplings or whatever you want to call them.

Yes, they'll look different depending on how you close the top and the whether your wrappers are circles or squares, but ultimately the process is pretty much the same.

For the filling, finely chop and/or grate whatever veggies interest you. Here I used grated carrot/daikon/potato with finely chopped garlic/mushroom/broccoli. Kinda westerny, I think, for today. Peas, ginger, bok choy, bean sprouts, napa cabbage, scallions, and just about anything else you're willing to chop very small all make great additions to the filling. Again, this is very much a personal-taste thing.

Once you're done fussing over that, mix it all together in a bowl and get yourself settled in. Making jiaozi takes a bit of time(it's generally ideal to make as many as manageable at once and freeze whatever you don't eat for later due to how time consuming the process is).

Typically my set-up[first picture up there] includes: A cutting board or other flat/moveable surface to place the ready ones on. A plate over which to fold them(the plate keeping the table clean and providing something to put them on when ready to eat ;p). A cup of water. A stack of pre-made wrappers(can be found in most any Asian food market and even some Western stores. Be sure to skim ingredients in case of eggs! You can also make these yourself, might get into that with a future post). Bowl of filling w/ spoon or chopsticks. Tea(for drinking). Laptop(for watching Korean dramas while making- optional). ;p

Once settled in, it's time to start! (1) Free one wrapper from the rest. While holding it in your hand, use a spoon/chopsticks/your free hand? to place a bit of the filling in the center of the wrapper. Try to clump it together. (2) Dip a finger from your free hand into the water and wet the edges of the wrapper in a circle around the filling. Carefully, so nothing sticks out, fold the wrapper in half around the filling and press the edges together. This part varies a little from type-to-type so feel free to close it however you like so long as it gets closed! (3) Ta-dah! You've completed one. Only ~49 more to go!

After running out of wrappers, filling, or space(whichever comes first), separate those you don't plan to cook now from the rest onto a cookie sheet. Freeze them on the sheet them dump them into a container or zip-lock bag for later use. Then clean up and move to the stove top. This will explain boiling/frying them, though you can also steam them in a steamer if that's more to your liking.

For boiling though, (1), take a medium-sized pot and fill it with water, place it over medium-high heat until boiling. Going 3-4 at a time, boil your dumplings(it might be a good idea to re-wetten and re-pinch the edges before dropping them in unless you like empty boiled wrappers and veggie-filled water. ;p

Using a strainer or large spoon with holes, fish out the jiao zi once the sides start to become a little more transparent. After you've repeated this process with all the dumplings you can either begin to chow down or move onto the next step, (2) frying(some fry without boiling first, though this was just how I was taught and how I do it. I also normally have some of both so this just works for me).

Setting the frying pan/wok on roughly the same heat used for boiling, lightly coat the bottom in vegetable(or canola or garlic- if you know where to buy garlic oil in the States I will love you forever for telling me!) oil and fry 'em up! Be sure to flip them, with chopsticks or a spatula, (3) then serve them with some dipping sauce or as a side for a meal once lightly brown on both sides!

Also, don't worry if you end up with filling leftover, just toss it in the pan with some leftover white rice from another day/meal and it makes for some really tasty fried rice!

~New Pot~

My new baby, roughly 150ml. It was a gift and I love it, and yes I included a quarter for size-reference though it's kinda falling down into the slot there. First session with it, along with tasting notes for a 1990s Malaysian-stored pu'erh brick(from TeaChat's OTTI 9), coming up soon!

Of Zebra Sencha and Pittsburgh tea

For roughly a week at the very tail end of December, I visited some family in Pennsylvania. While I brought tea with me, I was eager to see what Pittsburgh had to offer.

In all I visited four shops and walked away with 6 oz. of tea.

The first two shops I visited were on a whim, we were in the area, though proved disappointing. The first, who's name escapes me, I figured would be a bust, clearly very much a coffee shop.

The second, Prestogeorge Coffee & Tea, had a large selection though taking in that the place still smelled strongly of coffee(which could possibly be absorbed by the tea) and the tea was all stored in very large glass jars(large = air and glass = light, two things you don't want to overly expose the leaf to), I decided to pass.

The latter two shops were purposely driven to, even if still an 'in the area' way as my little sister was getting her first tattoo done down the street.

First up was Te' Cafe. Mixed feelings, the staff was friendly, the tea seemed stored well, and they had a small selection of teaware but it just wasn't my cup of tea, so to speak. I imagine that someone who grinds their own coffee/largely brews at home/would have felt at home in those first two shops might feel the same way walking into a Starbucks as I did at Te' Cafe.

Despite this, I bought 2 oz. of their gyokuro and a 'pot' of their dong ding to go(they serve hot tea by the pot, a pot being roughly the amount of a large coffee complete with disposable cup). I probably would have skipped the latter, but my aunt who was with me is a coupon junkie and had one for 'buy one, get one' on a pot of tea from there so she got a flavored type(peach?) and I got the dong ding.

For a tea junkie, I'd say skip the pot and stick to their loose leaf. The gyokuro was pretty good. I'm no expert, but it was very green and fabulous. The dong ding? They brewed it exactly the same as the type they were serving my aunt and it tasted as much(re: really oversteeped). I mean, I can't really complain about a free cup of tea, but I couldn't see myself buying it.

Gyokuro secured and cup o' dong ding in hand, I then headed to the final shop of my trip, Margaret's Fine Imports. This was a tea shop caught between all manner of brew. There were many English-style pots, but I spied a yixing as well. Tea canisters, strainers, cups in all shapes and sizes, not a single gaiwan though plenty of selection nonetheless.

As for the tea? Unfortunately stored in jars that customers are free to open and sniff, if you manage to find something, you might want to ask to have your tea taken from the bags behind the jar instead of the jar. Unlike Te' Cafe, more information on the teas is provided. After a moment of looking things over, I settled on some Guangzhou Milk Oolong(careful with this, chances are very slim that it's been made with milk, China not being known for its dairy industry, milk is expensive there, though fake milk oolong does stand a higher chance of some manner of tampering) and the Zebra Sencha.

Both picks based on curiosity. While I'd read up on it, I had yet to try milk oolong, and something from Guangzhou made it all the more sweet. For the sencha, I'd heard of Japanese-style teas being grow/processed out of Africa, but had yet to give it a shot. In the end, the milk oolong was alright, likely wouldn't buy again, but the Zebra Sencha was a bit of a surprise. Light, roasted, has this hint of grassiness to it that makes for a decent cup when reaching for something cheap. I'd recommend it at least once.

So, there we go. Four shops, 6 oz. and a pot to-go.

Anyone know any other places for my next trip?

Kimchi Jeon(김치전)

Apparently I am pretty bad at the 'everyday' thing. But, I do promise to post often enough(so vague, yes?).

That aside, a brief snack post.

Take 1 c. all-purpose flour, 1/3 c. rice flour(optional), 1 c. water, a dash of garlic powder, an even tinier dash of salt, and roughly 1/2 c. of chopped kimchi(and any other veggie that might appeal) and mix them all together in a bowl.

From there put a large frying pan on the stove at medium heat and either spray some cooking oil over it or coat with a thin layer of vegetable oil.

Once hot enough that a small drop of the batter sizzles on it, pour about a third of the batter onto the pan and use a fork or spoon to spread it out thin(though not enough for holes!). Resist the urge to flip it until at least half of the side you see is no longer very batter-like(partially cooked).

Flip and press, flip and press, and once it starts to look a bit brown on both sides, move it to a plate, cut it up into bite-sized pieces, repeat the same with the rest of the batter, and serve with your dipping sauce of choice(ex. pictured: minced garlic with Korean soy sauce)!

Quite tasty and spicy, though not for those who don't already have a fondness for kimchi. ;p