Refreshing cold summer drink with fresh mangoes & bright matcha. Just the right amount of sweetness & bitterness!
We have been going mango crazy this past few weeks. I couldn’t resist the sweet mangoes from grocery stores, and bought a bunch of them. Other than eating them on their own, I want to do something different with the mangoes too.
A few months ago, my friend Bonnie (Thirsty for Tea) got me a cookbook, The Boba Book. It’s written by Boba Guys, a popular boba shop in the Bay Area. While we were living in San Jose, we actually went to Boba Guys many times and really enjoyed it. So I was very excited to cook from this book.
When it comes to boba drinks, I always order something refreshing and light. I love milk tea, but it can be pretty heavy and stuffed. Fruit tea is my go-to most of the time. This recipe is perfect! Just mango puree and matcha. Very basic and easy to do!
There are 2 parts for this drink, mango puree and matcha. For the puree, put the mango cubes in a blender with a little bit of sugar and cold water. Although mangoes are already sweet, sugar is still needed because the rest of the drink is not sweetened. Blend the mangoes until smooth. To ensure it’s smooth, pour the puree through a strainer to remove any fiber or tough part in the fruit. Keep the puree in the fridge until ready to use.
For the matcha, put the matcha powder in a measuring cup or bowl, add hot water. The water shouldn’t be boiling, because boiling water can make the tea bitter. Use about 80˚C water. Whisk the matcha and hot water until smooth with no lump. Then, slowly whisk in the cold water. That’s the tea.
Now, all you need is to put them together. First pour in mango puree into serving cups, then add ice cubes, and last top with matcha. The yellow and green layers look incredible. When ready to drink, stir well and enjoy.
This is no doubt an excellent cold drink! We love the blend of sweetness and slight bitterness from the matcha. It’s really refreshing! Personally, I’m not too big of a fan of the strong bitterness from matcha, but this drink got balanced out the sweet mangoes. I have made this drink a few times already, because we just can’t get enough of it. Hope you guys will give this a try too!
Iced Mango Matcha
Ingredients
- 10 ounces ice cubes (divided)
Mango Puree:
- ¾ cup cold drinking water
- 1 cup fresh mango cubes (about 1 – 2 mangoes)
- ¼ cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar
Matcha:
- 1 tablespoon matcha (green tea powder)
- ¼ cup hot water (175˚F / 80˚C)
- 1½ cups cold drinking water
Instructions
- A few hours ahead, prepare 2¼ cups drinking water. Keep it in the fridge until cold.
- In a blender, add ¾ cup cold drinking water (the prepared one), mango cubes, and sugar. Blend until smooth. Pour through a fine mesh strainer into a measuring cup. Discard any fruit fiber. Cover the mango puree with plastic wrap and keep in the fridge until ready to use.
- In a medium bowl or measuring cup, add matcha and ¼ cup hot water (175˚F / 80˚C). Whisk until matcha is blended with no lump. While whisking, slowly pour in 1½ cups cold drinking water.
- Prepare 2 large serving glasses. Add ½ cup of mango puree into each glass. Top each glass with 5 ounces ice cubes. Give the matcha a quick whisk and divide into the glasses. Serve cold.
Notes
- For the mangoes, wash them under water and dry with paper towels. To cut the mangoes into little cubes, hold one mango with one hand and stand it on its stem. With a sharp knife in the other hand, cut from the top of the mango, down one side of the pit. Repeat with the other side. Now, you have three pieces (two halves and the pit). Lay one half of mango on the table with the flesh facing up, use a knife to do multiple ½-inch lengthwise and ½-inch crosswise cuts in it, but try not to cut through the peel. Hold that mango in hand, use a spoon to separate the flesh and peel. The mango cubes should be easily scooped out. Repeat with the rest of the mangoes. For the pit part, peel off the skins with hands. If you want, you can either scoop out the flesh along the pits with a spoon. Save that to make a puree or enjoy them yourself.
- Leftover mango puree can be kept in the fridge for up to 3 days. Cover with plastic wrap.
- The matcha powder I used is from Maeda-en. I bought it from a Japanese supermarket. You can find this in most Asian supermarket or online.
- If you like boba or any other toppings, you can definitely add a couple tablespoons in each glass.
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