Grass Jelly (涼粉)
User Reviews
5
Grass Jelly (涼粉)
Description
The Grass Jelly recipe involves simmering cleaned and soaked platostoma palustre leaves in water with baking soda to speed up extraction of gelling components. After simmering for 30-45 minutes, the mixture is cooled and the plant material rubbed to release slime, then strained twice through fine sieves to clarify the liquid. This strained liquid is then thickened by stirring in a mixture of cornstarch or potato starch with water and heating until it gels.
The finished jelly has a firm, gelatin-like consistency with a subtle herbal flavor from the plant. Its texture is smooth yet slightly springy, achieved by choosing potato starch for thickening if desired. Once set and cooled, it can be cut into cubes and served cold.
Grass Jelly is commonly served sweetened with honey, syrup, condensed milk, or combined with fruits like mango, strawberry, and kiwi for a refreshing dessert or beverage addition.
Using baking soda reduces cooking time significantly compared to traditional methods. Straining carefully ensures a clear jelly without plant residue. The jelly will set after refrigeration for a few hours and keeps well when chilled.
Ingredients
- 40 g platostoma palustre Around 3 cups, dried, 涼粉草
- 8 cups water
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
THICKEN LIQUID
- 4.5 tablespoons corn starch or potato starch
- 4 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Weight the dried platostoma palustre plant 40 g which is around 3 cups.
- Wash, soak and rinse the dried platostoma palustre plant to remove dust and sand.
- In a big pot, add 8 cups of water, ½ teaspoon baking soda and the washed platostoma palustre plant. Then, turn on a high fire and boil it. When it's boiling, turn the fire to medium small and simmer for 30-45 minutes.
- After that, let it cool off, use your hands to rub the plants to get the slimy thing out and mix with the liquid.
- Then, use a strainer bag to remove the big pieces of herb.
- After that, use a fine strainer to remove smaller pieces of herb. Remember to do this step twice. (The result of liquid is around 4-4.5 cups. And, I like 4.5 cups texture better.)
- Next, in a small container mix 4 tablespoons of water and 4.5 tablespoons of cornstarch or potato starch.
- Pour the cornstarch mixture from step 7 into the liquid, keep stirring until it thickens. (Also, potato starch has better texture. However, cornstarch works well.)
- Pour the thicken mixture into a container and refrigerate for 3-6 hours.
- After that, cut the grass jelly into cubes.
- You can serve with syrup.
- Or, serve it with condensed milk, milk, coconut milk and fruits.
Notes
- Wash and soak dried platostoma palustre to remove dust and sand before cooking.
- Adding baking soda cuts boiling time from hours to around 30-45 minutes.
- Place a plate over the pot when boiling to prevent overflow.
- Do not remove the white foam on top after boiling, as it helps the jelly set.
- Use a strainer bag followed by fine sieving twice to remove plant pieces and clarify the liquid.
- Thicken with a cornstarch or potato starch slurry; potato starch yields a better texture.
- Chill the jelly for a few hours until firm, then cut into cubes for serving.
- Serve with honey, syrup, condensed milk, or fresh fruits like mango and kiwi.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 4Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 37 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 37kcal | 2% |
| Carbohydrates | 8g | 3% |
| Protein | 1g | 2% |
| Fat | 1g | 2% |
| Saturated Fat | 1g | 5% |
| Sodium | 164mg | 7% |
| Potassium | 30mg | 1% |
| Fiber | 1g | 4% |
| Sugar | 1g | 2% |
| Vitamin A | 528IU | 11% |
| Vitamin C | 2mg | 2% |
| Calcium | 33mg | 3% |
| Iron | 1mg | 6% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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