Delicious or disgusting? 6 of the weirdest matcha-flavoured foods, from burgers to ramen – washed down with matcha cola

The world has officially gone mad for matcha, the finely-ground green tea leaf powder.

If you are a self-proclaimed matcha lover, either because of its well-documented health benefits or its addictively bitter, delicately sweet flavour, you have likely tried the most common matcha derivatives.

But how much do you really long for this tantalising, tannin-teeming plant? Nibbling on a matcha mochi right now, you say? How cute. Have a stash of those matcha Kit Kats in your pantry which were souvenirs your colleague brought back from Kyoto? Adorable. Your Starbucks order is a venti matcha green tea crème frappuccino? Oh boy.

We hate to break it to you, but these are small potatoes in the world of hard core matcha-munching.

Here are six matcha-infused dishes that test the limits of your matcha madness. Proving that green tea is loved by people the world over, our list spans the region. If you find yourself in one of these cities, do you think you’d try the following strange – but delightful – matcha offerings?

Matcha gyoza

Let us embark on this matcha trail from Uji, Kyoto, where master-grade matcha hails from. Superior gyokuro tea leaves are ground here to create the matcha, and it is perhaps no wonder that matcha-infused dishes are also offered in the small Japanese city.

If you find yourself in Uji, sample the Uji matcha gyoza like a diehard fan. The dumplings reportedly taste similar to normal gyoza but with a slight bitterness from the tea powder. Instead of a dipping sauce, the emerald dumplings are served with matcha salt.

Where you can find it: 田中九商店, Kyoto

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Matcha ramen

The global Mensho brand focuses on “creating the ramen bowl of tomorrow”, which evidently includes a matcha-infused chicken broth.

The matcha ramen goes for 980 yen (US$9) in the Tokyo outlet and comes with pork chashu, menma and spring onion. The base is matcha that has been incorporated into tori paitan, a rich and creamy chicken soup that is growing in popularity around the world (Osaka’s Strike Noodles franchise recently opened in Tsim Sha Tsui in Hong Kong, which serves the tori paitan ramen with clams).

In addition to the matcha ramen, Mensho also does a bunch of other creative ramen bowls, including a cheese ramen and A5 Wagyu shoyu ramen.

Where you can find it: Mensho San Francisco, Tokyo

Matcha pasta

Green matcha pasta is quite common at matcha-centric restaurants as it really is just a matter of incorporating the tea powder into fresh pasta dough.

But we travel to Manila’s Nomi cafe for this particular dish: the matcha pesto pasta. Served with basil, cherry tomatoes and asparagus, this pretty little bowl is what matcha dreams are made of.

Where you can find it: Nomi Cafe, Manila

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Matcha hotpot

The Matcha x Spicy Hotpot is limited to 10 orders per day at Spice World Hot Pot (Xiang Tian Xia) in Singapore. Amazingly, the Matcha & Spicy Butter Bear double flavour soup base is not the strangest thing on the menu either.

Spice World is known to be the pioneer for some of the strangest hotpot soup bases and dishes, including a bubble tea hotpot and a Wagyu beef set where a Barbie doll is wrapped up in a Wagyu beef kimono.

Thankfully, Spice World does not make the matcha a savoury expedition; you can dip Oreos, yam balls and sweet potato into this dessert-like soup base to accompany the spicy savoury soup base counterpart.

Where you can find it: Spice World Hot Pot, Singapore

Matcha curry

Itohkyuemon, a tea leaf company in Japan, has used its finely milled green tea powder to make an instant curry box that you can buy in Japan and online from Japanese retailers. Confuse friends when you prepare this non-Thai “green curry” for them.

Also from Uji in Kyoto, the two kinds of tea leaves used are of the highest standard. The green tea curry also includes chicken, carrots and potatoes.

Where you can find it: Online, from Itohkyuemon

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Matcha chicken burger

The matcha soy-chicken burger can be found in Australia’s first matcha cafe, Matcha Mylkbar. A vibrant green matcha bun makes the burger a must for any Instagram foodie worth her (or his) salt.

In addition to the green burgers, the Matcha Mylkbar also does matcha lattes and matcha pancakes.

For real chicken, and something closer to Hong Kong, Matcha Cafe Bali offers a matcha-bun chicken burger with a similarly green bun. They also serve Paleo matcha blueberry doughnuts and other delicious matcha treats.

Where you can find it: (Soy-chicken) Matcha Mylkbar, Melbourne; (Real chicken) Matcha Cafe Bali, Bali

And wash it all down with our bonus No 7 …

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Matcha cola

You could find Shizuoka Cola in select Japanese supermarkets around Hong Kong, but why not enjoy it with some Japanese ramen at Butadouraku Ramen restaurant?

The Shizuoka Cola, imported from Shizuoka, is made with green tea and liquid grape sugar, as well as cape jasmine flower for that fern-green hue. As with any soda, it has the fizz and sweetness, as well as a prominent grape flavour.

Where can you find it: Butadouraku Ramen, Hong Kong

Surprise No 8 …

You can find Matcha Beer at Ichiran outlets if you want to splice your matcha fix with booze.

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