Greetings Hive foodies. Finally, I made it to the Plant Power Cooking Challenge (week #13) hosted by my dear friend @JustinParke.

Thanks Justin for pushing me out of my comfort zone to rediscover matcha powder. Though it was not easy to get my hands on it in Kampot. You know you lived here too, finding special healthy food items is not easy.

Even though we got a fancy new supermarket, it took me ages to source this green magical powder. Good old Sok San was where I found it tucked away in some dark corner.

The first and only time I ever tasted matcha powder before was at Backyard Cafe in Phnom Penh… a matcha cashew latte. It was horrible! So I never tried it again, until now and I must say I started to appreciate its flavor.

I think they just added too much of the powder in their latte when I had it. It was so bitter and odd-tasting! Not nice at all. However, in this dessert I created matcha powder gives a supple green flavor that combines very well with the homemade cacao nibs and chocolate sauce.

You can definitely expect more matcha recipes soon. Not only because I paid $15 for this small package, but because I actually like the flavor. I am so happy I got to try it again.

Thanks, @JustinParke! We really miss cooking and spending time with you! Guyana, Ecuador, or Peru all sounds lovely to meet up again!

But enough chitchatting, time to get cooking!

MATCHA CHIA POWER CUPS

Ingredients (makes 6 muffin-sized power cups)

For the crust

1-2 T extra virgin coconut oil
½ cup walnuts
¾ cup dates, pitted
Pinch of Himalayan pink salt

For the filling

1.5-2 t matcha powder
½ cup pistachio milk
1 cup cashews
2 T maple or agave syrup
Juice of half a lime
2 T chia seeds
¼ cup cacao nibs

FYI: I used pistachio milk because a friend gave it to me but any plant milk will do. Don’t you love it when friends give you food! I sure do. Though I like to make my own nut milk without any preservatives, I thought it was kind of sweet of my friend to give me this with the words….”Hey I found something that you will definitely like AND it says unsweetened and REAL pistachio milk! That’s why I bought it for you!”

Chocolate decoration

FYI: ever since I bought cacao beans in Mondulkiri I have been making my own cacao nibs and chocolate. But you can use store-bought cacao and vegan chocolate for this.

If you want to see how I like to make bean-to-bar chocolate you can read about it in my previous post: 🍫 FROM BEAN TO BAR - HOW TO MAKE CHOCOLATE AT HOME 🍫

Simply explained, to make the cacao nibs, you roast the beans first, then peel them and pulse them in the blender to make cacao nibs.

For the 100% cacao chocolate sauce, just keep grinding the cacao nibs (I use a coffee grinder for this) until you're left with a chocolate sauce. It goes through the stages of being a powder, then a sticky mess, followed by a highly delicious liquid chocolate sauce. To make real chocolate bars, this chocolate sauce is then tempered - usually, sugar and milk are added - and poured into a mold to set.

I just like it 100% cacao, so I use it straight away. I always have roasted and peeled cacao beans available in my fridge, so whenever I need chocolate sauce, I take some out and grind them until I have a liquid consistency. So good!

Directions

Add all crust ingredients to a blender and process until it all sticks together. You don’t want to over blend as you want to keep some texture in the crust.

Divide the mixture over the cups and firmly push down. Let set in the freezer while you make the filling.

Add all ingredients, except the cacao nibs, to a blender. Process until smooth. Fold in the cacao nibs and pour into the cups. Let set in the fridge or freezer for a few hours. The chia seeds, cashews, and coconut oil will help set the filling. I like to put mine in the freezer as they are then easier to take out of the molds.

When hardened, add your chocolate sauce in a piping bag or use a spoon to drizzle. I used a piping bag. Pipe/drizzle chocolate on top. If you took yours out of the freezer too, allow them to thaw for 15-30 minutes (depending on your room temperature) before serving!