How to hojicha
Ever heard about hojicha? We hadn’t either, until our friends at Les Filles introduced it to us during a hot summer day (long gone now it seems, in London) - they said “it’s just like matcha…but better!” which was certainly enough to make us try. And so, our love affair with Hojicha started.
So after all, what is Hojicha? A quick Google search tells us it’s the Japanese version of green tea, but it takes us a few more clicks to find out it is a little more than that.
Colour, caffeine and scent
Hojicha, although is a green tea, is of reddish-brown colour and has a much lower caffeine content than matcha (at about 0.13g for every 100g versus 3.2g of matcha). The taste is quite unique too, boasting earthy and smokier tones.
Antioxidants, antidepressant, anti anxiety
Too good to be true? We thought so - but research tells us hojicha contains L-Theanine, an amino acid that eases symptoms of stress, depression & anxiety.
Packed with vitamin C and polyphenols, it also aids the immune system and kills bacteria thanks to the green tea antiviral properties.
What’s more?
The healthy properties of hojicha go a long way, with catechins and high concentration of fibers that aid digestion, vitamin E (that prevents blood clot) and vitamin A that can help reversing a compromised immune system.
So…how do you hojicha?
- Drink it as a tea (hot or latte cold!)
- Make vegan ice cream
- Bake them into vegan madeleines with our recipe below
Vegan hojicha madeleines
What you will need for the madeleines:
- 1 cup All purpose flour
- 1/4 cup Coconut oil
- 1/4 cup Oat milk (or any other substitute)
- 1/2 tbsp Baking powder
- 2tbsp Hojicha powder
- 2 tbsp ground flax seed
- 1 tbsp Vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp Cinnamon powder
- 1/2 cup Demerara sugar
- 1/4 cup water
What you will need for the toppings (if you choose to)
- dark chocolate
- crushed macadamias
How to:
Preheat your over at 180C and brush the madeleine pan with coconut oil.
1. First, prepare your flaxseed egg by adding 2 tablespoons of flaxseeds into 1/4 cup water and let it rest for 10 minutes.
2. Then, mix in the coconut oil and the sugar and beat until light and fluffy.
3. Add in your flax egg, the vanilla, the cinnamon and the hojicha powder.
4. And then finally, add the baking powder and the all purpose flour.
5. Fold it all in together and gently and then transfer the mixture to the madeleine pan + bake for 12-15 minutes and or until golden.
6. Then remove from the oven let them cool and dip them into the chocolate and crushed macadamias (or anything else you’d like!).
Store in air tight containers for them to last longer or simply freeze them!
Don’t have a madeleine pan? Make them into cupcakes! They will be delicious anyways! ☺️
