Blue Longan Agar Agar Jelly
On a hot afternoon, a chilled, sweet and lightly tart agar agar jelly is the best. I like to make mine with Longan fruits, and colour ala natural with butterfly pea flowers. The longan gives just the right crunch for this chewy dessert. With a creamy, smooth coconut base layer, it’s both a sweet treat and a refreshing bite. Thus, I’m sharing how I make my blue-tint Longan Agar Agar Jelly.
Ingredients
The ingredients are pretty simple. Pandan leaves for fragrance, coconut milk and longan in syrup for filling and flavour, sugar, water and agar-agar powder. That’s it.
For substitutions, there’s no hard and fast rule. The only requirement is to follow as closely as possible, the ratio of liquids to the agar-agar powder. Most brands should indicate their own ratios behind the agar-agar packets.
Aside from longan, any lightly tart fruit can be added in as well. Lychee, pineapple slices and peach come to mind as substitutions. As I find longan to be the least sour of the fruits in syrup, it’s recommended to adjust the sugar amount as desired. Fresh fruits like mangoes and strawberries are excellent additions as well!
Steps
The brief steps of making the Longan Agar Agar Jelly is as follows:
- Soak the butterfly pea flower
- Fold the pandan leaves into knots
- Separate longan from the syrup
- Layer the longan in the mould
- Cook the longan jelly mixture
- Pour it over the longan in the mould
- When firm, make shallow swirls all over the surface
- Cook coconut jelly mixture
- Pour coconut jelly mixture over longan jelly layer
- Pop any bubbles
- Once firm, run a small knife along the edges
- Flip the jelly and enjoy
Tips
- If butterfly pea flowers are not available, a few drops of high-quality food dye can be used instead.
- If a lighter colour is preferred, the amount of blue water can be reduced. Be sure to substitute the amount with drinking water to fit the liquid to agar-agar ratio.
- Fresh coconut milk brings more fragrance and creaminess to this dessert. If freshly squeezed is not available, the next best substitute is cream of coconuts – the floating layer where the delicious fats are.
- Making shallow swirls on the surface of the firm agar-agar jelly glues the top layer better, preventing it from sliding off prematurely.
- Allow the top layer to slightly cool to prevent the bottom layer from melting during pouring. This keeps the clear line separation of the layers.
- Smaller moulds can be used as well! Go wild with the shapes and sizes – involve the kids and get them to arrange the fruits in the mould.
- Be sure to watch the full video so to replicate exactly how I made my Blue Longan Agar Agar Jelly!
Tasting
Sweet, tart and very addicting; it’s perfect for any occasion – especially after that spicy meal! Nothing beats a cool, refreshing smooth bite of Longan Agar-Agar Jelly after downing that tongue-numbing spicy Thai sauce.
Storage Instructions
Kept in an air-tight container in the fridge, this Longan Agar Agar Jelly can last for about a week (don’t expect it to last a week though, it’s very addicting).
It’s not recommended to freeze as the ice crystals that form will affect the texture of the jelly and the encased fruit will be limp after thawing.
Hope you have enjoyed this recipe. Happy cooking! 😀
Blue Longan Agar Agar Jelly
Equipment
- Food Tongs
- Strainer
- Weighing Machine
- Measuring Cup
- Saucepan
- Silicone Spatula
Ingredients
- 30 g butterfly pea flowers, fresh, or about 30 flowers
- 350 ml hot water
- 3 fresh pandan leaves, fresh, optional
- 565 g longan in syrup, in a can/ tin
- 150 g granulated white sugar
- 12.7 g agar-agar powder, 1 packet, clear "colour"
- 500 ml coconut milk, freshly squeezed, or cream of coconut
Instructions
Preparation
- Soak butterfly pea flowers in hot water for 10 minutes, then strain the water. Fold pandan leaves into individual knots to fit the saucepan.
- Separate longan from the syrup into 2 bowls.
- Measure 6.3g of agar-agar powder (amount according to manufacturer's instructions).
- Measure and combine syrup and butterfly pea flower water in a saucepan. It should reach 500ml. If it's not enough, add clean water.
- Add 50g of sugar to the saucepan. Stir and mix until well-distributed.
- Add 6.3g of agar-agar and 1 pandan knot to the saucepan and mix until distributed.
Cooking
- Place saucepan over medium-heat and cook the Longan Agar Agar Layer mixture for 4 minutes, sitrring constantly.
- Once the mixture is boiling, switch off the heat.
- Place all the longan into a 7×7 inch square mould without overlapping. Pour all the Longan Agar Agar Layer mixture into the mould. Push any floating fruit to fully submerge them. Set aside to harden completely for 30 minutes.
- Once hardened, make shallow swirls on the surface of the Longan Agar Agar Layer.
- Add all the coconut milk, 6.4g of agar agar powder, and the rest of the sugar into a saucepan. Stir until well distributed.
- Add the rest of the pandan knots and cook over medium heat for 4 minutes, stirring often.
- Once the coconut agar agar mixture is boiling and very smooth, switch off the heat. Continue stirring to cool it slightly for about 2 minutes.
- Pour the coconut agar agar mixture gently into the mould with a ladle. Pop or remove any bubbles present on the surface. Let it harden for about 30 minutes.
- Once hardened, cover with cling wrap and place in the fridge to set. Chill for a minimum of 4 hours.
Serving
- Remove from the fridge. Remove the cling wrap.
- Run a knife along the edge of the jelly to loosen it. Cover with the serving plate and carefully flip it.
- Serve!
Video
Notes
- If butterfly pea flowers are not available, a high-quality food dye can be used instead.
- If a lighter colour is preferred, the amount of blue water can be reduced. Be sure to substitute the amount with drinking water to fit the liquid to agar-agar ratio.
- Fresh coconut milk brings more fragrance and creaminess to this dessert. If freshly squeezed is not available, the next best substitute is cream of coconuts – the floating layer where the delicious fats are.
- Making shallow swirls on the surface of the firm agar-agar jelly glues the top layer better, preventing it from sliding off prematurely.
- Allow the top layer to slightly cool to prevent the bottom layer from melting during pouring. This keeps the clear line separation of the layers.
- Smaller moulds can be used as well! Go wild with the shapes and sizes – involve the kids and get them to arrange the fruits in the mould.
- Be sure to watch the full video so to replicate exactly how I made my Longan Agar Agar Jelly!
- Can be kept for 1 week in the fridge in an air-tight container.
- Not recommended to freeze.
- Chilled always
- As a snack
- As a fancy dessert
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