Iced Matcha Milk Tea with Red Bean
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No more buying bad-tasting matcha drink when you can make this easy and refreshing Iced Matcha Milk Tea with Red Bean by yourself at home in just 5 minutes.
Matcha seems to be everywhere these days, from baked goods to drinks. The frenzy has spread to all corners of the food and beverage industries. You can even find matcha latte in nearby Starbucks now. The popularity of this finely bright green hue powder comes as no surprise and there is no sign of it disappearing just yet. It has been touted as a trend in beneficial superfoods with health benefits.
There is so much matcha out there, but there are only a very small number of restaurants and cafes that sell good matcha food and beverage here. Today much of the green tea powder on the market is processed in a manner quite different from true matcha. They are called matcha, but it is called matcha. Therefore, quality should be the biggest concern when buying matcha, especially if you intend to experience the health benefits of matcha tea. That’s why I prefer to make my own matcha drink at home to control its quality.
Since I still had leftover Red Bean Paste from my previous recipe, I decided to make Iced Matcha Milk Tea with Red Bean. Matcha and red bean are always paired beautifully together especially in Japanese desserts. They are two of my favorite combo. The combination of the bitter matcha and sweetness of red bean paste creates a very complex nice flavor.
About Matcha (抹茶)
Some of you may get confused about the difference between green tea and matcha. Don’t confuse matcha with the same green tea that you drink at home or Japanese restaurants. The names are slightly deceptive because green tea and matcha are used interchangeably, but they are actually slightly different. Matcha and green tea both come from the same plant, camellia sinensis, but they are grown and processed differently.
Matcha is made from whole green tea leaves that have been pulverized into a super fine powder. Because the whole leaf is powdered and ingested, instead of just water infused through the tea leaves, matcha has significantly greater substances and deeper flavor than green tea. Moreover, you cannot grind the regular green tea to make matcha, considering matcha is made from shade-grown tea leaves. Processing regular green tea involves the leaves being left in the sun. Comparatively, matcha bushes are specifically kept undercover to increase the chlorophyll and amino acid level in the leaves. That is why matcha has a much richer flavor than green tea.
Please note that matcha comes in both ceremonial-grade and culinary-grade. Ceremonial-grade is considered higher quality and should be used for drinking. Meanwhile, the culinary-grade powder is intended for baking and cooking purposes. For making ice cream, culinary grade matcha will suffice.
Make Red Bean Paste at Home
You can buy ready-made red bean paste in the local Asian supermarket. If you have the time, you could even make your own Red Bean Paste at home and control its texture and sweetness. I personally love having coarse red bean texture in my matcha latte drink because I love its mouthfeel just like drinking boba drink, but with healthier ingredients.
More Matcha Recipes
If you don’t know, I have tons of matcha recipes on my blog.
- Eggless Matcha Tiramisu Cake
- Matcha Pancakes
- Red Bean Matcha Mochi with Kinako
- Matcha White Chocolate Brownies
- Matcha Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp matcha powder
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1/3 cup (80 ml) hot water
- 4 tbsp red bean paste
- 2 cups (480 ml) milk
- 2-3 cups ice cubes, for serving
Instructions
- In a glass or small bowl, mix matcha, sugar, and hot water with spoon or milk frother until well combined. Set aside.
- Add 2 tbsp sweet red bean paste into each tall glass, then enough ice to fill the glass. Pour 1 cup of milk into each glass.
- Pour the matcha mixture into each cup. Enjoy.
