Are your meals tasting a little lackluster these days? Do you need a pick-me-up, something wild and different that lends an exciting new flavor profile to your palate?
Tea salt will rescue your taste buds from boring, flavorless food and introduce you to a whole new world of taste. As we’ll see later on in this blog post, you can use it to add a layer of earthy, slightly sweet and salty taste to just about anything, from baked chicken, to French fries, to (surprise!) a glass of tea.
What Is Tea Salt?
Tea salt is traditionally made with just two ingredients_ sea salt and matcha powder. Sea salt is coarser and punchier than table salt, and while sea salt is harvested from evaporated sea water, table salt comes from a mine on land.
Aside from it being a more natural alternative to table salt, sea salt also provides more health benefits because of the minerals it contains_ magnesium, calcium, and potassium.
Matcha comes from the same plant that produces green tea leaves. To make it, the leaves are grown in the shade to increase their level of green pigment, which is why matcha has such a bright, verdant color. The leaves are then ground up and voila, you have matcha powder.
Matcha powder is used heavily in Japanese-inspired drinks and dishes to add a slightly sweet, earthy note and an attractive green hue. It’s popular not just for its flavor, but for its benefits.
This ground up herb contains L-theanine, an amino acid that can cause feelings of relaxation and wellbeing. According to Medical News Today, a 2017 review of 49 studies on humans taking matcha showed that the L-theanine present in the herb “may improve mood and performance.”
Other studies show that green tea - and therefore matcha - may aid in preventing cancer, heart disease, and Type 2 diabetes.
So clearly, matcha and sea salt together are a power couple that can only bring good things to the table (and your health).
What Tea Salt Is Used For?
We mentioned earlier that tea salt is used in a lot of different dishes and drinks - pretty much anything you would normally add regular or seasoned salt to. Here are some of them you might decide to try_
● French fries
● Popcorn
● Tortilla chips
● Ice cream
● Chocolate
● Fried, baked, or seared meat
● Steamed or roasted vegetables
● Lattes
● Frappuccinos
… and literally anything else you can think of!
How Do I Make Tea Salt?
Tea salt is the easiest thing in the world to make because you just need two ingredients - sea salt and matcha – and a bowl and a whisk or fork (something with tines or spaces between the metal so you can mix and sift more efficiently).
So, to recap, here’s what you need_
Ingredients and Tools
● Sea salt (we recommend Himalayan or Celtic sea salt, both of which are high quality and have great health benefits)
● Matcha (you can find organic matcha tea powder in our online shop)
● Measuring spoons
● A small bowl
● A small whisk or fork
● A small container with a lid
Tea Salt Recipe
Now that you have your ingredients together, the only thing you have to decide is what ratio you want to use. We recommend using 1 tbsp of sea salt and ½ tsp of matcha powder in the recipe, while other recipes online will recommend a 1:1 ratio in their recipes.
Don’t be afraid to play around with it and see what works best for you. It’s usually best to start with 1 tbsp. of sea salt and then slowly incorporate the matcha to find the amount that tastes the best to you.
Pour your measurements for the sea salt and matcha into the small bowl, and use your whisk or fork to incorporate the two ingredients together. In the end, you should have a salt mixture that’s a lovely bright green color.
And there you have it_ tea salt. Find a container that you can put a lid on, seal the tea salt inside, and keep it in your cupboard or out on the counter so you have easy access to it whenever you need a little punch of matcha-flavored salt in your dishes.
Don’t forget to tag us on Facebook and Instagram to show off your creations!