Fruit Jelly Balls for Christmas | 果冻球食谱, 燕菜糕食谱

Some colour for this Christmas? – Do try these Fruit Agar-agar Jelly Balls, they are so colourful and fun to make!

These Fruit Jelly Balls are so refreshing and delicious! – These Fruit Jelly Balls look very pretty and colourful and the texture is tender and springy. You can add any fruits you like. I find the combination of kiwi, mango, dragon fruit, blueberry and basil seeds go very well with the sweet clear jelly.

Kids will love them! – Spend fun time doing these Fruit Jelly Balls with the kids. They will love it!

EXPLANATION OF KEY INGREDIENTS

Agar-agar

Agar-agar is extracted from seaweed and is plant-based. It works like gelatin and is often used to make jelly, especially in Asia. Being plant based, it has become very popular amongst vegetarians or vegans as a substitute for gelatin. It is odorless and does not contribute much taste to the jelly, perhaps just a slight hint of fragrance.

Agar-agar comes in powder form or strips. You can substitute agar-agar powder with agar-agar strips if preferred.

Jelly Powder

For this recipe, I added Jelly Powder. Agar-agar texture is more stiff. Jelly powder makes the jelly more springy, clearer and more resilient (i.e. less likely to break easily)

The Instant Jelly Powder is made of Carageenan, Konjac Gum and Sodium Citrate (information provided by Bake With Yen staff). Konjac Gum is derived from Konjac plant. As for Carageenan, according to wikipedia “Carrageenans or carrageenins are a family of natural linear sulfated polysaccharides that are extracted from red edible seaweeds. Carrageenans are widely used in the food industry, for their gelling, thickening, and stabilizing properties.”

IMPORTANT COOKING TIPS

Add jelly powder, agar-agar powder to cold liquid

Agar-agar needs to be added to cold/room temperature liquid so that it does not clump up when cooking.

Mix the jelly powder, agar-agar powder and caster sugar well

Mix well so that the jelly powder don’t clump up while cooking.

Cook the jelly mixture on low heat and mix often especially at the beginning while cooking

Cook the jelly mixture on low heat and mix often especially at the beginning while cooking so that the jelly powder does not clump up when cooking.

The jelly liquid cooked to boiling point

The jelly liquid needs to be cooked to boiling point to activate the gelling properties.

Remove air bubbles from the liquid

After boiling the jelly liquid, remove air bubbles to get a clear jelly.

Don’t put too much fruits into the mould

If you put too many fruits in the mould, there won’t be enough liquid to keep the jelly intact. When you take the jelly out of the mould, the fruits may come off.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is Agar-agar?

Agar-agar is extracted from seaweed and is plant-based. It works like gelatin and is often used to make jelly, especially in Asia. Being plant based, it has become very popular amongst vegetarians or vegans as a substitute for gelatin. It is odorless and does not contribute much taste to the jelly, perhaps just a slight hint of fragrance.

Agar-agar comes in powder form or strips. You can substitute agar-agar powder with agar-agar strips if preferred.

My jelly texture is too soft/firm, can I change the texture?

Yes, you can. The texture of the jelly is based on the ratio of water/liquid to agar-agar powder. So if you prefer softer texture, reduce the jelly powder or vice versa.

Why does my jelly not set?

Not enough agar-agar powder used. Different brand of jelly powder have different liquid to agar-agar powder ratio. Generally the ratio is 1g powder = 100ml liquid but may differ from brand to brand.

Agar-agar starts to activate its gelling properties when the liquid is heated above 80-90°C. So it is necessary to make sure the liquid is cooked until it is boiling. Then leave to cool to room temperature. It will start to solidify below 40°C.

What is the texture of agar-agar?

Agar-agar texture is more stiff compared to gelatin. Hence it is not so jiggly and springy.

HOW TO STORE ?

Unmould just before serving as they tend to release water after unmoulding. They can be stored in the fridge for 2-3 days. They are enjoyed cold.

Troubleshooting – My jelly did not set, what can I do about it?

Step 1 – If it is your first time trying the recipe there is a test you can do. Before pouring into the mold, just scoop up a small portion of the liquid into a small saucer. Place it into the fridge to set. It should take about less than 5 minutes. Check the texture of the jelly. If you are happy with it, the proceed to pour into the mold. If it did not set, add more jelly powder (before adding the powder, dilute it in some room temperature water first), pour into the existing jelly liquid and heat up the liquid again. Redo the test and once you are happy with the texture, pour into the mould

Vice versa, if you find the texture of the jelly is too stiff/hard, add more water into the existing jelly liquid and heat up the liquid again. Redo the test and once you are happy with the texture, pour into the mould

Step 2 – If you have already poured into the mold and eventually find out that it did not set. Don’t throw it away! You can always fix it. Just simply place the liquid into a pot, add jelly powder, mix well and reheat again. Then repeat the above step 1 to test the jelly.