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Ginger waffles with matcha
ice-cream
Warm ginger-spiked waffles are the perfect foil for
matcha ice-cream, creating the hot-cold sensation we
all love. If you don’t have a waffle-maker, the pears and
matcha ice-cream are excellent on their own, too. Start
a day ahead to make the ice-cream and waffle dough.
Prep time 35 mins, cook 25 mins (plus chilling,
freezing, proving)
Serves 6
125 ml (½ cup) lukewarm milk
1½ tsp dry yeast
1 egg, lightly beaten
320 gm plain flour
40 gm brown sugar
2 tsp ground ginger
125 gm softened butter, plus extra for greasing
50 gm pearl sugar (see note)
20 gm glacé or crystallised ginger, finely
chopped
Vegetable oil, for brushing
Icing sugar, for dusting
Matcha ice-cream
6 egg yolks
17 0 gm caster sugar
400 ml pouring cream
150 ml milk
20 gm matcha powder, sieved
Caramelised pears
20 gm butter, diced
3 pears, quartered and cored
70 gm brown sugar
2 tsp finely grated ginger
1 tbsp lemon juice1 For matcha ice-cream, whisk yolks and sugar in
a bowl until very pale (5-6 minutes). Meanwhile,
bring cream and milk just to a simmer, pour into
yolk mixture, whisking continuously, then returnto pan. Stir continuously until mixture thickly
coats the spoon (5-6 minutes), then strain into
a bowl and refrigerate until chilled (2-3 hours).
Whisk matcha and 100ml warm water in a bowl
until smooth, then whisk into custard to combine.
Churn in an ice-cream machine, then freeze until
required. Makes about 1.2 litres.
2 Combine milk and yeast in an electric mixer
fitted with a dough hook, then stir in egg and
a third of the flour. Scatter with remaining flour- don’t stir – and set aside until yeast mixture
bubbles through flour (30 minutes). Knead in
brown sugar, ground ginger and 1 tsp fine sea salt
until a dough forms, then knead in butter a little
at a time. Transfer to a buttered bowl, cover with
plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place until
doubled in size (2 hours). Knock back dough,
form into a ball, then return to bowl. Cover directly
with plastic wrap, weight with a plate and
refrigerate overnight for flavours to develop.
3 Knead pearl sugar and candied ginger into
dough, divide into six equal balls and set aside on
a tray lined with baking paper until doubled in
size (30-45 minutes).
4 Meanwhile, for caramelised pears, melt butter
in a large frying pan over medium-high heat, add
pears and cook, turning occasionally, until evenly
caramelised (3-4 minutes). Stir in sugar, ginger
and lemon juice and simmer, turning pears
occasionally, until tender and pan juices reduce
to a syrup (3-4 minutes). Remove from heat and
keep warm.
5 Brush a heated waffle-maker with oil. Flatten
dough balls slightly and cook in waffle-maker
in batches until golden and cooked through
(5-6 minutes). Dust lightly with icing sugar and>
1 Heat vegetable oil in a large saucepan to 170C.
Meanwhile, sieve flour, sugar, matcha powder,
baking powder and ½ tsp fine salt into a bowl and
make a well in the centre. Whisk buttermilk, butter
and egg in a separate bowl to combine, add to
well and mix to form a shaggy dough. Turn out
onto a lightly floured work surface and knead
lightly until just smooth (don’t overwork it or the
doughnuts will be tough). Roll out dough to 1.5cm
thick, then cut out rounds with an 8cm-diameter
biscuit cutter. Cut out 2cm holes from the centres,
reroll scraps once and repeat.
2 For sweet matcha powder, sieve ingredients
into a bowl and stir to combine.
3 For matcha glaze, sieve icing sugar and matcha
into a bowl, stir to combine, then add milk and
1 tbsp water, and stir to a smooth, thick drizzling
consistency.
4 Deep-fry doughnuts in batches, turning
occasionally, until golden brown (2-3 minutes),
then drain briefly on paper towels. For dusted
doughnuts, toss them with sweet matcha powder
while they’re still warm to coat generously. For
glazing, cool doughnuts for 10 minutes, then dip
tops in matcha glaze. Doughnuts are best eaten
on the day they’re made.
Matcha noodles with miso broth
and soft egg
These noodles are surprisingly simple to make – you
can roll them out with a rolling pin or put the dough
through a pasta machine. Either way, there’s no need
for endless folding and rolling. We’ve made thin
noodles, but they could be cut thicker for a more
rustic effect.
Prep time 25 mins, cook 10 mins
Serves 4 (pictured p82)
4 eggs, at room temperature
2 tbsp tamari
1 tbsp finely grated ginger
100 gm (^1 / 4 cup) shiro (white) miso paste
150 gm mixed mushrooms, such as oyster and
shiitake, thickly sliced
50 gm enoki mushrooms
1 bunch (about 300gm) spinach, trimmed
Furikake and shichimi togarashi (see note)
and sesame leaves (optional), to serve
Matcha noodles
300 gm buckwheat flour, plus extra for dusting
100 gm (^2 / 3 cup) plain flour
30 gm matcha powder, sieved
1 For matcha noodles, combine flours, matcha
and ½ tsp fine salt in a large bowl and mix to
combine. Add 150ml water and mix with your
fingertips. Gradually add another 150ml water,
a little at a time, mixing until you have a soft
but not sticky, dough (you may not need all the
water). Turn out onto a surface lightly dusted
with buckwheat flour and knead until smooth
(4-5 minutes). Divide into 4 pieces and form each
into a round. Roll each to a 2mm-thick rectangle,
dusting generously with buckwheat flour as you
go to prevent sticking. Lightly dust top of dough
to prevent sticking, then fold in half and cut into
2mm-wide noodles with a very sharp knife. Or put
through the tagliarini cutter on a pasta machine.
Carefully unfold noodles and toss in buckwheat
flour to prevent sticking.
2 Cook eggs in a saucepan of boiling water
for 7 minutes (for soft yolks), drain and run
under cold water until cool enough to handle.
3 Meanwhile, bring tamari, ginger and 1.5 litres
water to a simmer in a saucepan. Whisk 250ml
of the hot ginger liquid in a bowl with miso to
combine, return to pan and simmer for flavours
to combine (4-5 minutes; do not boil). Add
mushrooms and spinach and simmer until
spinach is just wilted (30 seconds to 1 minute)
4 Blanch noodles in a large saucepan of boiling
salted water until shiny and tender (30 seconds
to 1 minute). Drain and divide among warmed
serving bowls, then ladle broth, spinach and
mushrooms over noodles. Crack eggs in half,
scoop out of shells and add to bowls, scatter with
furikake and shichimi togarashi and serve hot.
NoteFurikake seasoning, a mix of bonito flakes,
sesame seeds and nori, is available from Japanese
grocers. Shichimi togarashi, a Japanese chilli blend,
is available from Japanese grocers and Herbie’s
Spices (herbies.com.au). Sesame leaves are
available from select Asian grocers.