Recipe: Matcha Chia Pudding

With the spring weather approaching, you might find your body craving foods that are a little fresher and lighter. We have previously looked at the amazing health properties of matcha. For this recipe, we have married it with a non-Japanese superfood, chia seeds, to create a quick, simple, non-bake and delicious breakfast that is easy to take on the run.

Chia seeds are native to South America, but it’s getting easier to find bags of these little black seeds around Japan. They have taken the world by storm for their nutrition content, as well as their ability to be used in simple dishes such as puddings and smoothies but also as an egg replacement in baking for those with allergies.

Chia seeds are incredibly nutritious. While being relatively low in calories, they are high in protein, fiber, antioxidants and Omega-3’s, and are also naturally gluten free. They have a high content of the minerals calcium, magnesium, manganese and phosphorous.

With this nutrition content, chia seeds have been said to:

• aid weight loss
• improve digestive health
• have anti-aging properties and improve skin and bone health
• reduce inflammation in the body
• help to prevent the onset of diabetes
• boost energy and metabolism
• fight breast and cervical cancers

You can find chia seeds in health food stores, many international supermarkets, and online web shops. They are called チアシード(chiia shiido) in Japanese.

Matcha Chia Pudding

Gluten Free/Dairy Free/Vegan/Raw/Refined Sugar Free

(Serves 1-2)

Adapted from a Creating Raw recipe.

What You Need 

1 cup almond milk (or other choice of milk)

½ teaspoon matcha powder

½ teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon maple syrup

3 tablespoons chia seeds

1 tablespoon shredded coconut (optional)

Topping suggestions: fresh berries, banana, nuts, extra coconut

What to Do

1. Add milk, matcha, vanilla and maple syrup to a blender and blitz until evenly combined and there are no lumpy bits (or whisk well in a bowl). Add liquid to a jar, add chia and coconut, place lid on top and shake well (alternatively you can use a bowl and whisk instead).
2. Pop into the fridge and re-shake every few minutes for the next 10 to 15 minutes. This stops big clumps of chia seeds from forming.
3. Leave the pudding in the fridge to set (overnight is best, but at least five to six hours).
4. When ready to eat, transfer the pudding into a bowl and add your favorite healthy toppings, or just toss the toppings into the jar and take it as a quick breakfast on the run.

The only catch is, you must remember to prep this the night before!