For the finale of our Dim Sum party, I made some these creamy, dreamy bits of awesomeness. I got this recipe from the Dim Sum class I took at ICE. Some of the other people in class had made these, and I really liked them. The only thing that bugged me was that the instructor said she didn’t like rose water, so she didn’t have us put it in the jelly. I happen to really enjoy rose water, so I was excited to try these out in my own kitchen.
These beauties are stark white, and perfectly smooth, thanks to a dose of agar-agar powder. It was my first time using it, and it really made them set up nice and firm. This is really easy to put together, and there aren’t a lot of ingredients. The coconut cream is the stuff that’s over in the mixed drink aisle of the store (I used Coco López). These are finger food desserts, and it’s incredible to see how well they hold up when they sit out at room temperature. I have all sorts of ideas for things to make with the rest of my bottle of agar-agar!
Here’s a shot of the rest of the meal (minus some awesome homemade fortune cookies!), including the Hoisin Cocktail Meatballs and Shrimp Dumplings.
Coconut Jelly
Encyclopedia of Asian Food – Charmaine Solomon
2 tablespoons agar-agar powder
2 (14-ounce) cans coconut milk
6 tablespoons sugar
1 cup canned coconut cream
Several drops rose water for flavor, optional
1. Sprinkle the agar-agar powder over the coconut milk, add sugar and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the coconut cream.
2. Flavor to taste, then pour into an 8×8 dish, refrigerate, and allow to set.
3. Cut into diamond shapes or squares.
Big Flavors Rating: 5 Stars
