Strawberry Jelly/草莓果冻

Simple Strawberry Jelly for any Special Occasion – the jelly for this recipe is soft, light, refreshing and jiggly.

EXPLANATION OF KEY INGREDIENTS

Jelly Powder

Jelly powder makes the jelly 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

  • Jelly powder needs to be mixed with sugar so that it does not clump up when cooking.
  • Mix the jelly powder, caster sugar and liquid well so that the jelly powder don’t clump up.
  • 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 needs to be cooked to boiling point to activate the gelling properties
  • Remove air bubbles from the liquid to get a smooth jelly texture

IMPORTANT TIPS FOR LAYERED JELLY

When you pour the next layer, make sure that the jelly liquid is steaming before pouring into the mould so that the layers gel well. If you use coconut milk, do not boil the liquid (If you boil the jelly liquid after pouring in the coconut milk, the coconut milk will split). Just reheat until it starts to steam.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)

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 jelly 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.

Jelly powder 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.

HOW TO STORE ?

Unmould just before serving as the jelly 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, mix with some sugar, 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 with some sugar), mix well and reheat again. Then repeat the above step 1 to test the jelly.

Strawberry Jelly

Strawberry Jelly

Yield: 2
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Additional Time: 3 hours
Total Time: 4 hours

Ingredients

Jelly liquid 果冻液体:

  • 5 grams instant jelly 5克速溶果冻粉
  • 500 ml water, room temperature 500毫升水,室温
  • 80 grams caster sugar 80 克 细砂糖
  • 1 large, 5 small strawberries 1个大草莓,5个小草莓
  • 60 ml coconut milk/coconut cream or milk of choice 60 毫升 椰奶或自选牛奶

Colour 颜色:

  • 1/4 teaspoon strawberry powder 1/4 茶匙 草莓粉
  • 1 tablespoon hot water 1汤匙热水

Instructions

  1. Please watch video below