Chrysanthemum Tea+Wolfberry Jelly 菊花枸杞果冻

The weather has been hot and humid for the past few weeks until now, it is a perfect time for me to make Chrysanthemum Tea. Chrysanthemum has cooling effect on the body, it also detoxifies the blood; helps with sinus congestion, high blood pressure, and can also calm the nerves.

While planning to make the drink, I came out with an idea of making them into jelly by adding some wolfberries to the tea. So I will have both cooling beverage and refreshing dessert at the same time.

INGREDIENTS:
25-30gms first grade dried chrysanthemum tea flowers
1-2 tbsp wolfberries
100g rock sugar
1.5 litres water
1 packet Jelly Powder (unflavoured)

PREPARATION:
Wash the chrysanthemum and Chinese wolfberries. Bring the water to boil in a pot, when boil pour the hot water over the chrysanthemum tea flowers. Cover the lid and let it soak for 30 minutes. Sieve the flowers, add in wolfberry and boil for 10 minutes. Add in rock sugar, stir until the sugar dissolves. Then, slowly stir in the jelly powder. Now, scoop the jelly mixture into selected jelly moulds and let it cool. Chill immediately when hardened.

Note: You can retain the sieved chrysanthemum tea flowers by adding in hot boiling water as it would be a waste to throw them away.

Soy Bean Jelly In Longan Syrup

My husband's friends are coming over for dinner tonight, so I prepared this refreshing dessert ahead of time and have them chilled well in the fridge. The jelly itself are not too sweet, it taste just nice when eaten with the canned longan flesh and it's syrup.

Let me share this simple and nice dessert recipe with you all☻
Ingredients:
25 g/1 packet of jelly powder
1 litre soy bean in packet
2 litres water
4-5 tbsps sugar
knotted pandan leaves
1 canned longan in syrup
some ice cubes
pandan leaves for garnish (optional)

Method:
1. Cook the jelly powder in the soy bean until it is fully dissolved. Mix well then pour into a rectangular glass baking dish or pyrex. Let it cool or refrigerate to harden. When set, cut into cubes.

2. While waiting for the jelly to set. Boil 2 litres water with knotted pandan leaves in a pot, add sugar when it comes to a boil. Switch off the heat and let it cool slightly.

3. Add 1 can of longan to the pandan syrup, gently stir in the soy bean jelly cubes and let it chill inside the fridge. Add ice cubes before serving.

Lek Tao Suan 绿豆爽 (Sweet Mung Beans Porridge)

The traditional teochew standard recipe requires to steam the mung beans, then prepare the syrup in another pot. As for my version, I used a rice cooker to cook... it was a lot easier and quicker to get it done.

Ingredients:
200gm skinned, split green beans (washed)
1.5 litres hot water
2 tbsps tapioca flour (dissolve in 1 cup of water)
sugar to taste
4 pandan leaves (knotted)
2 ringgit Yu Char Kuih (slice thinly)

Method:
1. Add mung beans and knotted pandan leaves into 1.5 litres water in rice cooker. Cover and let it boil until the beans are tender. Approx. 15-20 minutes.
2. Discard pandan leaves, add sugar to taste. Stir in slowly flour mixture, stir constantly until the soup thickens and has a translucent look. Serve with thinly slice Yu Char Kuih.

Black Glutinous Rice Porridge 黑糯米粥

I must say the specialty of this porridge was the Black Bario Rice that I used. It has an aroma that’s akin to black glutinous rice but yet, it’s not quite as strong and has a smoother texture.

Ingredients:
1 Cup Black Bario Glutinous Rice
1.2 Litres Filtered Water
1 piece Palm Sugar
Sugar to taste
6 pandan leaves (knotted)
Serve with salted coconut milk*

Method:
1. Wash and drain glutinous rice.
2. Bring water to boil in a pot, then transfer to slow cooker.
3. Add rice, pandan leaves and palm sugar, let it slow cook for 3 hours. Discard pandan leaves.
4. The rice should turns sticky now, add sugar to taste.
5. Serve hot with salted coconut milk.

* By adding a pinch of salt to the coconut milk will enhance the flavor and make the dessert more delicious!

Black glutinous rice is naturally sweet, rich in fibre and contain loads of antioxidants. It has 4 times of vitamin B and E than general rice.

Pittaya Coconut Milk Jelly

My mother-in-law gave me a red fleshed pittaya. I thought why not make a pittaya jelly instead? So I did it☻Pittaya, also known as Dragon Fruit. It is rich in Vitamin-C, very healthy!! No colouring added to the jelly as it is all natural colour from the fruit.

Here is the recipe for this jelly.
Ingredients:
1 packet coconut milk powder
2 packet clear jelly powder
2x800ml filtered water
sugar(depends on how sweet you want it to be)
3 pieces screwpine leaves (knotted)

1 pittaya (shredded)

Method:
1. Coconut Milk Jelly: Bring water to boil. Add 1 packet jelly powder, knotted pandan leaves, sugar and cook till it is completely dissolved. Add in coconut milk and stir for a while, turn off heat. Discard pandan leaves. Pour the mixture onto a 2 inch tray. Allow to cool, shredded and put aside.

2. Bring another 800ml water to boil. Add the other packet of jelly powder and a little bit of sugar. Cook till it is fully dissolved. Stir in the shredded coconut jelly and pittaya. Pour the mixture onto the 2 inch tray. Allow to cool before chilling in the fridge.