Grass jelly
Encyclopedia
Grass jelly, or Leaf jelly, is a jelly-like
dessert found in China
, Hong Kong
, Taiwan
and Southeast Asia
. It is sold in cans or packets in Asian supermarkets.
(member of the mint family) with potassium carbonate
for several hours with a little starch and then cooling the liquid to a jelly-like consistency. This jelly can be cut into cubes or other forms, and then mixed with syrup to produce a drink or dessert thought to have cooling (yin
) properties, which makes it typically consumed during hot weather. The jelly itself has a slight bitter taste, a light iodine
lavender
flavor, and is a translucent black. It can also be mixed with soy milk
to produce a milky white liquid with black strands in it.
, grass jelly was traditionally served with sugar syrup. Now it is often served mixed with other ingredients, such as mango
, sago
, watermelon
, cantaloupe
, and other fresh or canned fruit, and evaporated milk.
Although this dish is sometimes called liangfen in Chinese, it should not be confused with the Chinese starch jelly liangfen
, which is an entirely different dish.
, black jelly (Cincau hitam) is manufactured as an instant powder, like other instant jellies or agar. This form is easier to use. It is made from the leaves of Mesona palustris.
Two other plants used in Indonesia are Melastoma polyanthum, known as Cincau perdu, and Cyclea barbata, known as Cincau Hijau or green grass jelly.
. It is also mixed with soy milk
to produce a milky white liquid with black strands in it, a drink known as Michael Jackson
in South-East Asia (a humorous reference to Michael Jackson's changing skin color and/or the song "Black or White").
, grass jelly is known as 仙草 (xian cao), and is used in various desserts and drinks. It can sometimes be added to boba
drinks and shaved ice (雪冰). It is also commonly used in a traditional Taiwanese drink, where the jelly is heated and melted to be consumed as a thick dessert beverage (仙草茶, literally Grass Jelly Tea), with numerous toppings like tangyuan, taro balls, azuki beans, and tapioca
.
, grass jelly is known as chao kuai ( tɕʰâw kwɛ̌j,) and is commonly served relatively plain together with ice and natural brown sugar
. Additionally, it can also be served with fruits such as jackfruit
, the fruit of the toddy palm
or mixed together with other Thai desserts.
, grass jelly is sương sáo or thạch sương sáo. Grass jelly is chopped in small cubes and served as an additional ingredient in sweet desserts made from various kinds of beans (chè
). There are two common kinds of grass jelly in Vietnam which are Mesona sinensis Benth.
- called sương sáo in Vietnamese and Tiliacora triandra
called sương sâm in Vietnamese (as well as sương sa or rau câu is the name for jelly made from various kinds of algae
).
Gelatin
Gelatin is a translucent, colorless, brittle , flavorless solid substance, derived from the collagen inside animals' skin and bones. It is commonly used as a gelling agent in food, pharmaceuticals, photography, and cosmetic manufacturing. Substances containing gelatin or functioning in a similar...
dessert found in China
Mainland China
Mainland China, the Chinese mainland or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term that refers to the area under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China . According to the Taipei-based Mainland Affairs Council, the term excludes the PRC Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and...
, Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
and Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
. It is sold in cans or packets in Asian supermarkets.
Preparation
Grass jelly is made by boiling the aged and slightly oxidized stalks and leaves of Mesona chinensisMesona chinensis
Mesona chinensis is a species of plants belonging to the genus Mesona of the mint family. The species grows extensively in East Asia such as south east China and Taiwan preferring ravines, grassy, dry, and sandy areas. The plants are from 15–100 cm high with hairy stems and leaves...
(member of the mint family) with potassium carbonate
Potassium carbonate
Potassium carbonate is a white salt, soluble in water , which forms a strongly alkaline solution. It can be made as the product of potassium hydroxide's absorbent reaction with carbon dioxide. It is deliquescent, often appearing a damp or wet solid...
for several hours with a little starch and then cooling the liquid to a jelly-like consistency. This jelly can be cut into cubes or other forms, and then mixed with syrup to produce a drink or dessert thought to have cooling (yin
Yin and yang
In Asian philosophy, the concept of yin yang , which is often referred to in the West as "yin and yang", is used to describe how polar opposites or seemingly contrary forces are interconnected and interdependent in the natural world, and how they give rise to each other in turn. Opposites thus only...
) properties, which makes it typically consumed during hot weather. The jelly itself has a slight bitter taste, a light iodine
Iodine
Iodine is a chemical element with the symbol I and atomic number 53. The name is pronounced , , or . The name is from the , meaning violet or purple, due to the color of elemental iodine vapor....
lavender
Lavender
The lavenders are a genus of 39 species of flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae. An Old World genus, distributed from Macaronesia across Africa, the Mediterranean, South-West Asia, Arabia, Western Iran and South-East India...
flavor, and is a translucent black. It can also be mixed with soy milk
Soy milk
Soy milk and sometimes referred to as soy drink/beverage is a beverage made from soybeans. A stable emulsion of oil, water, and protein, it is produced by soaking dry soybeans and grinding them with water...
to produce a milky white liquid with black strands in it.
China
In ChinaChina
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, grass jelly was traditionally served with sugar syrup. Now it is often served mixed with other ingredients, such as mango
Mango
The mango is a fleshy stone fruit belonging to the genus Mangifera, consisting of numerous tropical fruiting trees in the flowering plant family Anacardiaceae. The mango is native to India from where it spread all over the world. It is also the most cultivated fruit of the tropical world. While...
, sago
Sago
Sago is a starch extracted in the spongy center or pith, of various tropical palm stems, Metroxylon sagu. It is a major staple food for the lowland peoples of New Guinea and the Moluccas, where it is called saksak and sagu. A type of flour, called sago flour, is made from sago. The largest supply...
, watermelon
Watermelon
Watermelon is a vine-like flowering plant originally from southern Africa. Its fruit, which is also called watermelon, is a special kind referred to by botanists as a pepo, a berry which has a thick rind and fleshy center...
, cantaloupe
Cantaloupe
"Rockmelon" redirects here, for the band see Rockmelons. See also Cantaloupe .Cantaloupe refers to a variety of Cucumis melo, a species in the family Cucurbitaceae which includes nearly all melons and squashes. Cantaloupes range in size from...
, and other fresh or canned fruit, and evaporated milk.
Although this dish is sometimes called liangfen in Chinese, it should not be confused with the Chinese starch jelly liangfen
Liangfen
Liangfen is a Chinese dish consisting of starch jelly that is usually served cold, with a savory sauce, often in the summer. It is most popular in northern China, including Beijing, Gansu, and Shaanxi, but may also be found in Sichuan and Qinghai.Liangfen is generally white or off-white in color,...
, which is an entirely different dish.
Indonesia
In IndonesiaIndonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, black jelly (Cincau hitam) is manufactured as an instant powder, like other instant jellies or agar. This form is easier to use. It is made from the leaves of Mesona palustris.
Two other plants used in Indonesia are Melastoma polyanthum, known as Cincau perdu, and Cyclea barbata, known as Cincau Hijau or green grass jelly.
Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei
Plain grass jelly is mixed in various kinds of desserts, such as ice kacang and cendolCendol
Cendol is a traditional dessert originating from South East Asia which is still popular in Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar , Singapore, Vietnam, and Southern Thailand where it is called lortchorng singapore ลอดช่องสิงคโปร์).-Etymology:There is popular belief in Indonesia that the name "cendol" is...
. It is also mixed with soy milk
Soy milk
Soy milk and sometimes referred to as soy drink/beverage is a beverage made from soybeans. A stable emulsion of oil, water, and protein, it is produced by soaking dry soybeans and grinding them with water...
to produce a milky white liquid with black strands in it, a drink known as Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
in South-East Asia (a humorous reference to Michael Jackson's changing skin color and/or the song "Black or White").
Taiwan
In TaiwanTaiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
, grass jelly is known as 仙草 (xian cao), and is used in various desserts and drinks. It can sometimes be added to boba
Bubble tea
Bubble tea is the name for pearl milk tea and other similar tea and juice beverages that originated in tea shops in Taichung, Taiwan during the 1980s. Drink recipes may vary, but most bubble teas contain a tea base mixed with fruit and/or milk...
drinks and shaved ice (雪冰). It is also commonly used in a traditional Taiwanese drink, where the jelly is heated and melted to be consumed as a thick dessert beverage (仙草茶, literally Grass Jelly Tea), with numerous toppings like tangyuan, taro balls, azuki beans, and tapioca
Tapioca
Tapioca is a starch extracted Manihot esculenta. This species, native to the Amazon, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, and most of the West Indies, is now cultivated worldwide and has many names, including cassava, manioc, aipim,...
.
Thailand
In ThailandThailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, grass jelly is known as chao kuai ( tɕʰâw kwɛ̌j,) and is commonly served relatively plain together with ice and natural brown sugar
Natural brown sugar
Natural brown sugar is brown sugar made by partially refining sugar cane extract, whereas most brown sugar is made by adding molasses to fully refined sugar, which may come from sugar beet....
. Additionally, it can also be served with fruits such as jackfruit
Jackfruit
The jackfruit is a species of tree in the Artocarpus genus of the mulberry family . It is native to parts of Southern and Southeast Asia. It is the national fruit of Bangladesh, . The jackfruit tree is believed to be indigenous to the southwestern rain forests of India...
, the fruit of the toddy palm
Borassus flabellifer
Borassus flabellifer, the Asian Palmyra palm, Toddy palm, Sugar palm, or Cambodian palm, is native to South and Southeast Asia, in the Indomalaya ecozone...
or mixed together with other Thai desserts.
Vietnam
In the Vietnamese languageVietnamese language
Vietnamese is the national and official language of Vietnam. It is the mother tongue of 86% of Vietnam's population, and of about three million overseas Vietnamese. It is also spoken as a second language by many ethnic minorities of Vietnam...
, grass jelly is sương sáo or thạch sương sáo. Grass jelly is chopped in small cubes and served as an additional ingredient in sweet desserts made from various kinds of beans (chè
Chè
Chè is a Vietnamese term that refers to any traditional Vietnamese sweet dessert soup or pudding.As such, it may, with the addition of qualifying adjectives, refer to a wide variety of distinct soups or puddings, which may be served either hot or cold...
). There are two common kinds of grass jelly in Vietnam which are Mesona sinensis Benth.
Mesona chinensis
Mesona chinensis is a species of plants belonging to the genus Mesona of the mint family. The species grows extensively in East Asia such as south east China and Taiwan preferring ravines, grassy, dry, and sandy areas. The plants are from 15–100 cm high with hairy stems and leaves...
- called sương sáo in Vietnamese and Tiliacora triandra
Tiliacora triandra
Tiliacora triandra is a species of flowering plant native to mainland Southeast Asia and used particularly in the cuisines of northeast Thailand and Laos. In the Isan language, it is called bai yanang or bai ya nang , or simply yanang or ya nang . In Laos, it is also called bai yanang...
called sương sâm in Vietnamese (as well as sương sa or rau câu is the name for jelly made from various kinds of algae
Algae
Algae are a large and diverse group of simple, typically autotrophic organisms, ranging from unicellular to multicellular forms, such as the giant kelps that grow to 65 meters in length. They are photosynthetic like plants, and "simple" because their tissues are not organized into the many...
).