There are people who like matcha and then there are people like recipe developer Sift & Simmer, who make you think of them every time you see the popular green tea.

Although her matcha recipes and photos make everyone go wild, we got to hear a bit more of how she started her journey.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

I’m Michelle, and I’m a recipe developer and food photographer for my blog Sift & Simmer. I live in Vancouver with my husband and 2 young boys, who are my steadfast taste testers and are the reason why I started blogging in the first place.

How did you get started with developing recipes?

I started developing recipes because my boys, especially my eldest, are very picky eaters.

In an effort to get them to eat more, I really had to put on my thinking hat and create unique recipes that would appeal to their tastes. I also am quite conscientious about the food that we consume so I only opt for organic, all-natural ingredients in all my cooking and baking.

In a sense, I enjoy the challenge of creating something different and delicious.

What is it about Matcha that fascinates you?

I didn’t always have a love affair with matcha.

To be honest, my first time I had matcha, I didn’t like it. I thought it was bitter, grassy, and kinda gross. I never gave it much thought afterward. I gave matcha another shot many years later and discovered it was earthy, complex, but delightfully pleasant. That’s when my interest in matcha piqued and I started experimenting with it.

The many health benefits to consuming matcha is just a big awesome bonus.

Can you tell us a story where you had to learn a specific baking or recipe developing trick the hard way?

While I was developing the recipe for my Homemade Aburi Sushi – I quickly learnt that it’s important to have the correct tools.

At the time, I didn’t have a blowtorch, and the only way to emulate the “torched” look was to use a butane lighter (you know, the ones that you use for lighting a campfire)… Yeah, it took a pathetically long time to “torch” the aburi. I ordered a blowtorch off Amazon and re-did it – suffice to say, it only took seconds before the aburi was blackened.

Lesson: get the right tools!!

Photo credit: Sift & Simmer
Photo credit: Sift & Simmer

What’s your favourite dish to cook? And least favourite?

My favourite dish to cook is my Instant Pot Vietnamese Beef Pho. It’s relatively quick to make and is my husband’s ultimate favourite. I can always count on my kids to slurp their noodles and finish every drop of soup.

My least favourite dish to cook is anything that needs to be grilled – I leave that all to my husband. He does all the grilling for me.

Is there anyone who inspired you to begin cooking when you were growing up? What about now?

Yes, absolutely! My Mom is the one who inspired me to cook and still inspires me today – she thinks of the most amazing recipes and is completely self-taught.

Growing up, she cooked every single meal for our family. She instilled in me the importance of knowing what’s in my food, my passion for cooking and baking from scratch, and sharing that love of food with family and friends.