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Grass Jelly (涼粉)

Grass jelly is very common and classic summer dessert among Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, mainland China and south east Asia.

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
55 mins
Servings: 4
Calories: 37 kcal
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Asian , Chinese , Taiwanese

Ingredients

  • 40 g Dried platostoma palustre plants (涼粉草) (Around 3 cups)
  • 8 cups water
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
THICKEN LIQUID
  • 4.5 tablespoons corn starch or potato starch
  • 4 tablespoons water

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Weight the dried platostoma palustre plant 40 g which is around 3 cups.
  2. Wash, soak and rinse the dried platostoma palustre plant to remove dust and sand.
  3. 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. 
  4. After that, let it cool off, use your hands to rub the plants to get the slimy thing out and mix with the liquid.
  5. Then, use a strainer bag to remove the big pieces of herb.
  6. 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.)
  7. Next, in a small container mix 4 tablespoons of water and 4.5 tablespoons of cornstarch or potato starch.
  8. 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.)
  9. Pour the thicken mixture into a container and refrigerate for 3-6 hours.
  10.  After that, cut the grass jelly into cubes.
  11. You can serve with syrup.
  12. Or, serve it with condensed milk, milk, coconut milk and fruits.

Notes

  • Cooking tips for how to make grass jelly from scratch:
  • Wash and rinse the dried platostoma palustre in order to remove dust and sand.
  • Pour water and baking soda into a big pot. Then, add washed mesona chinensis and boil it. When it's boiling, turn the fire to small and simmer for 30-45 minutes. Normally, it takes around 5 hours to boil them if you do not add any baking soda. By adding baking soda or potassium carbonate, it speeds up the process for around 30-45 minutes.
  • To prevent overflowing while boiling, I put a plate on top of the herb.
  • You may have noticed some white stuff floating on top. Don’t remove them, it’s from the plants and it helps to hold the grass jelly better.
  • After boiling the plants, wait until it cools off. Then, use your hands to rub the plants and mix the liquid, so more slimy things will come out from the plants.
  • Use a strainer bag to remove big pieces of plants. After, I use a fine strainer twice to remove small pieces of the plants. As a result, the liquid is around 4-4.5 cups. ( I like the 4.5 cups texture better.)
  • In a small container mix water and cornstarch or potato starch to thicken the liquid. Potato starch has better texture; however, corn starch works well.
  • Let the grass jelly cool off and refrigerate it for a few hours, it will form jello like.
  • Cut into cubes and serve them with honey, syrup or condensed milk and milk. You can even add fruits such as mango, strawberry and kiwi.

Nutrition Information

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%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 37

% 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.