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| Açaà Bowl with golden kiwi, strawberry, granola |
Hey hey! Açaà bowl time! If you follow me on Instagram, you might have noticed I'm super obsessed with Açaà bowls right now! Açaà bowls are all over the trendy health-focussed cafes, but it was only a month ago that I tried one for the first time, at Legacy Cafe in Camberwell (blogpost to come!) I loved it, then promptly went out and bought some açaà purée and started making my own açaà bowls. Now I have one for breakfast two to three times a week. Hooray!
So, açaà is a Brazilian berry that grows in the Amazon and is supposed to be incredibly high in antioxidants, omega fatty acids and other goodness. Before Melbourne hipsters re-appropriated it, açaà na tigela ("açaà in the bowl") was (and remains!) a popular breakfast throughout Brazil, beloved for its refreshing taste and nutritional properties. I haven't developed a Brazilian booty yet, but I remain optimistic.
You can buy frozen açaà purée in little individual packets, ready to be turned into smoothies or breakfast bowls. I found mine at Leo's Supermarket in Kew, but I think they're available at different gourmet supermarkets and delis. I go for the plain açaÃ, unsweetened and without guarana, because I like to control the amount of sweetness and caffeine I have!
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| Açaà packs! |
Ok, to go from frozen açaà purée to açaà bowl, you defrost the purée in the packet under running water, then whizz it up with some fruit, liquid and sweeteners in a blender. After much experimentation, I've come up with my perfect ratio - one packet purée, half a banana, two to three pitted dates, and a couple of tablespoons of almond milk. (Or regular milk!) You can use honey for sweetness too, but I prefer the taste and texture of dates. Sometimes I add a tablespoon of peanut butter or cacao to the purée, depending on my mood.
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| Açaà Bowl ingredients |
One more thing to note - the amount of liquid you need will depend on your blender (my new NutriBullet needs more liquid than my old KitchenAid blender did), and the, um, moistness of your ingredients. As an example, if I use a fresh banana in the mixture, I usually don't need much extra liquid, but if I use a frozen banana, then I need a little extra liquid to bring everything together.
Here's what the mixture looks like when I make it. The açaà bowls I see around town seem to be lighter in colour (a higher ratio of other ingredients to açaÃ, probably), but I like having the açaà be the star ingredient of my breakfast bowl, and my recipe below makes the perfect-sized breakfast for me. Any more extra ingredients and I'd be stuffed! I love the intense deep purple colour too.
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| Naked Açaà Bowl |
The mixture is icy and creamy, like a sorbet. A refreshing, nutrient-packed sorbet! I know it's the middle of winter, but I can't stop eating them!
From here, all you need to do is top it with sliced fruit, granola, whatever you like!
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| Açaà bowl with golden kiwi, strawberry, banana, peanut butter, granola |
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| Açaà bowl with granola, banana, strawberry |
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| Açaà bowl with kiwi, banana, strawberry |
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| Açaà bowl with banana, granola, kiwi, strawberry |
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| Açaà bowl with granola, strawberry, banana |
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| Açaà bowl with strawberries, kiwi + granola on the side |
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| Açaà bowl with banana, kiwi, strawberry |
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| Açaà bowl with granola, kiwi, strawberry, banana |
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| Açaà bowl with golden kiwi, strawberry, banana, granola |
Do you aça� Smoothie or bowl? Do you have a favourite recipe or any serving suggestions? Please share your ideas with me!
Açaà Bowl
An original recipe by Sarah Cooks
Ingredients
1 x 100g packet of frozen açaà purée
1/2 banana (frozen or fresh)
2-3 pitted dates
2-4 tablespoons almond milk (or milk of your choice)
Optional: Handful spinach, honey to taste, peanut butter, cacao powder
For the topping: Fruit of your choice, granola
Method
Defrost the açaà purée under the tap and break it up a little. Cut open the packet and put the açaà in a blender. Add the banana, dates and almond milk, plus any of your optional ingredients. Blend until smooth, adding extra almond milk if necessary to make a smooth mixture. Taste and add extra honey for sweetness if you like.
Scrape the mixture into a shallow bowl, and top with fruits and granola of your choice.
Serves 1
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