Iced grass jelly has been one of my favorite summer desserts as it helps to keep the body cool during hot days.
Grass jelly (仙草烧) is a sweet dessert, popular in Hong Kong, Southern China and Taiwan area. Traditionally, we boil leaves and stalks from a plant named Mesona Chinensis with a small amount of starch or rice flour to make grass jelly. After cooling down, the liquid will firm into a jelly like texture. However, this method cannot be popular in our daily life as it is quite time-consuming. In order to simplify the process, there are popular canned grass jelly (outside China) and powdered grass jelly (in and outside China).
To make grass jelly from grass jelly powder (the ratio of powder and water need to be adjusted according to the package), you will need to mix sugar and cornstarch as well.
If you use grass jelly powder like this one: use 2 packages (6g)+3 to 4 tablespoon sugar (optional)+10g to 20g cornstarch(the more starch you add, the firmer your jelly will be). Firstly mix all the ingredients together and add around 200ml water to dissolve.
Heat the left 800ml water to a boil and stir the mixture in slowly. Continue heating for 1-2 minutes until there are lots of large bubbles on surface.
Transfer the mixture out.
Cool down several hours in fridge. And move out.
Cut into small cubes.
Add fresh fruits(mango cubes) and sweetened red beans. Drizzle some cream or condensed milk.
To make a classic grass jelly drink with a cold soaking method (perfect for summer): heat around 100ml water in a sauce pan and then throw in 2 bags of black tea and 3 tablespoons of sugar, simmer for 2-3 minutes. Turn off the fire and then add around 300ml to 350ml milk. Cover the pot to cool down and set in refrigerator for several hours.
Lay the grass jelly cubes in the bottle of the container.
Add chilled milk tea in.
- 2 package grass jelly powder
- 10-20 g cornstarch
- 3-4 tbsp. sugar
- 1000 ml water
- 2 black tea bags
- 100 ml water
- 2-3 tbsp. sugar
- 300-350 ml milk
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Firstly mix all the ingredients together and add around 200ml water to dissolve.
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Heat the left 800ml water to a boil and stir the mixture in slowly. Continue heating for 1-2 minutes until there are lots of large bubbles on surface.Transfer the mixture out.Cool down several hours in fridge.
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heat around 100ml water in a sauce pan and then throw in 2 bags of black tea and 3 tablespoons of sugar, simmer for 2-3 minutes. Turn off the fire and add sugar. Stir to dissolve. Add around 300ml to 350ml milk. Cover the pot and set in refrigerator for several hours. Take the tea bags out.
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Cut the grass jelly into cubes, transfer them into your serving container carefully. Add chilled milk tea.
Bon appetite in summer. This has been my favorite dessert in 38 degree C days. I hope you will love it. Just comment, rate or tag me #chinasichuanfood on Instagram of if you tried it. Thanks for reading.
Hi Elaine,
Thanks for this recipe. I have always enjoyed 仙草 but never attempted to make it myself. You have inspired me! I think I will try coconut cream instead of milk.
I love the blog, especially all of the vegan dishes.
Cheers,
Michael
You are the most welcome Michael. I have been enjoying grass jelly for years. But my favorite version is homemade version. It is quick and healthy.
Bonjour je viens de tomber sur votre site cela fait longtemps que je suis à la recherche de cette recette encore merci je me suis abonnée, bonne continuation
Daniele
Thank you Daniele, I’m happy you like it.
Is your china grass jelly flavoured? As in Tea flavoured? I thought unflavoured China Grass jellies are colourless like water.
Regards, Elle.
Hi Elle,
Good question. We have two type of grass jellies in China. One is this dark black version and the other is transparent white grass jelly. They are made from two different plants.
Most packaged grass jelly is flavored with sweeteners.
Hi Elaine, I am a big fan and a diligent follower o your blog. About the black china grass I did not know. I have browsed through my local super market shelves, and they offer mostly flavoured china grass in white or added colors. The closest to anything taste neural I have found Vanilla China Grass jellies. Can I modified them for this purpose? Like adding coconut syrup in the process, or anything similar. I am all ears for your suggestions
Very good morning sir/madam
I am Jaymanju from Tirupur,Tamilnadu,India
I liked verymuch your black grass jelly. We have shop in Tirupur we are try to introducing in black grass jelly.
I tried to online purchase it is not in black grass.
Kindly help us support to purchase in your products.
Thanks for your understanding.
Thanks&Regards
Jaymanju
+919600960094
TIRUPUR
INDIA
Hi Jaymanju,
I love to help but I am not a trader and I cannot ship food out to the country. You can seek help from the Chinese stores. Possibly they can help.
Hello from Spain
I absolutely love Chinese food.
there is a recipe I looking for, spicy chicken legs ( ji zhua)
Please!!!!!!
I need it, I bought chcken legs but they whero different from the restaurant’
Ji Zhua is Chicken feet in Chinese. Do you mean chicken feet or legs?
Hi,
I’m struggling with making grass jelly. I’ve made it a number of times but half the time it can comes out lumpy— small harder lumps in the jelly. I’m wondering what I may be doing wrong. Any help or tips would be much appreciated.
P.S. your grass jelly looks velvety smooth, how’d you do that?!?
Christie,
Are you making packaged powder or start from the dried grass.
Thank you for sharing! Xx, Jazzy Cleveland 😋✌🙋
You are the most welcome, Jasmine.
does it have to be black tea? Or could any tea work
Basically black tea is a better choice because of the color. But you can try with other tea. Or if you do not want to use tea, you can use brown sugar syrup.
Elaine, grass jelly dessert drink is also popular in Indonesia. Not sure about Malaysia and Singapore, therefore I didn’t write “South East Asia”, because I don’t know how popular it is in those countries, but I know for sure it is in Indonesia. It’s one of the oldest, most popular, most common, and most favourite dessert drinks in Indonesia and you can find it in every corner, be that on the street, in a stall, a restaurant, or somebody’s house. The drink comes in different varieties: mixed with syrup and fruits on ice, with coconut sugar syrup and coconut milk, or with syrup and coconut milk. All of these varieties are called “es (ice) cincau”.
It is the same in China. It can be served with lots of dessert ingredients, touhua, taro balls, milk tea, coconut milk, and also with fruits (both fresh and dried. Foodies really think the same.
Yes, great minds think alike! In Japan, I see there is a rising demand too. If I’m not mistaken, in the summer, Mister Donut Japan has grass jelly drink in matcha (doesn’t that sound great?) Ice cincau is my favourite.