Creamy Matcha Porridge and Fresh Fruit

Matcha is delightful in so many ways. It's deep, clean green tea flavour, its vibrant colour that brings life to simple dishes, its broad range of uses across a range of cuisines. I'm using it more and more. Here, I used it in porridge, and blow me down, wasn't it absolutely perfect. Assisted by manuka honey, sesame and chia seeds, fresh tamarillo and kiwifruit, this was a veritable visual and flavour explosion.

Ingredients (serves one)

1/2 Cup of good quality rolled Oats

1 1/2 Cups of Whole Milk

1 Heaped Teaspoon of Matcha

1 Heaped Teaspoon of Manuka Honey

1 Tamarillo, peeled and sliced

1 Green Kiwifruit, peeled and sliced

Small handful Sunflower Seeds

2 Tablespoons of Chia Seeds

Black Sesame Seeds

Method

In a saucepan, pour in the oats, milk, honey and chia seeds. Turn to a medium-low heat. With a whisk and a spoon, keep the porridge moving as it heats up. Use the spoon to stop in sticking in the corners of the saucepan.

As it begins to thicken, sift in the matcha powder through a tea-strainer or something similar, and watch the porridge turn bright green. I do this halfway through because it keeps the matcha's green colour vibrant and it's flavour crisp. If you prefer a stronger flavour you can add more, but this amount hit the spot for me.

Keep going with the stirring on a low heat until it is thick, smooth and creamy. Be patient - don't give into the temptation of increasing the heat or letting it boil, even if the packet instructions say so. You're evaporating the milk, not boiling it down.

Serve immediately with a line of the kiwifruit and tamarillo, a sprinkling of sunflower and sesame seeds on top.

Enjoy!