Cooling Agar-Agar Recipes (Part 1)

Agar-agar is a very popular dessert. It may be in dry strands which have to be presoaked before use or bought processed in powder form. Usually, most of us would simply follow the instructions on the packet of agar-agar powder and by adjusting the amount of water we then get either a firmer or softer jelly. Likewise, by adjusting the amount of sugar we can get the sweetness we prefer. Variations to the basic recipe make agar-agar more interesting! How about trying these recipes ?

Magic Mirror Agar-Agar
2 ^3/4 cups presoaked agar agar strands
6 cups water
1 ^1/4 cups sugar
6 pandan leaves washed
colouring
30g cincau jelly (leong fan) cut into cubes

Method
In a pan, combine one cup agar-agar, two cups water and three pandan leaves. Bring to the boil, stirring constantly till agar-agar dissolves. Add 1/3 cup sugar and stir till dissolved. Strain into three trays. Add a different colour to each tray. Leave to set.

Meanwhile, prepare remaining agar-agar, water, pandan leaves and sugar similarly but leave the cooked mixture uncoloured. Strain into a large tray. Allow to cool and thicken but not to set.

Cut the coloured agar agar into small cubes. Stir this and the cut cincau jelly (leong fan) into the thickened agar-agar. Chill in refrigerator till set. Cut and serve.




Agar-Agar Santan
30g agar-agar powder
120ml water
750ml hot water
300g sugar
3 pandan leaves, knotted
180ml thick coconut milk
1/4 tsp food colouring

Method
Combine agar-agar powder with 120ml water. Stir to dissolve, then pour into the hot water. Add sugar and pandan leaves and bring to a boil for 10 - 15 minutes over medium heat. Stir occasionally while cooking.

Divide agar-agar into three portions. Add colouring to the two-thirds portion and pour into wet moulds.

Bring the remaining one-thirds liquid to a gentle simmer, then add thick coconut milk. When it begins to boil, remove from the heat at once.

Test the doneness of the coloured portion. It should be about set. Gently pour spoonfuls of coconut milk agar-agar mixture over the coloured jelly (take care not to break through the surface of the coloured jelly). Leave to set completely. Chill in the refrigerator before turning out. Should the coloured jelly set before the coconut milk agar is being added, you can scratch the surface with a fork before pouring in the topping. - Amy Beh



Almond Jelly Lychee Dessert
1 cup presoaked agar-agar strands
4 cups water
1 cup condensed milk
almond essence
1 tin lychee

Method
Boil one cup softened agar-agar in four cups water until dissolved. Strain the mixture. Add one cup condensed milk and a few drops of almond essence. Stir well.

Pour into a 2-pint mould. Leave in refrigerator to set. Unmould into deep dish and pour one tin chilled lychees around almond jelly.




Egg Agar-Agar
45g agar-agar strands
675g grated coconut (white part only)
1 ^1/2 tbsp instant coffee
2 tbsp hot water
4 egg yolks, lightly beaten
45ml water
675g sugar
1 tin evaporated milk
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla essence
1.7 litres water

Method
Squeeze coconut for thick milk. Stir instant coffee powder with 2tbsp hot water till dissolved. Mix coconut milk, coffee and beaten egg yolks in a bowl and set aside.

Soak agar-agar in cold water, squeeze dry and boil in 1.7 litres water until dissolved.

Add sugar and continue to boil until sugar dissolves. Strain the mixture into another saucepan and boil again.

Remove from heat and add evaporated milk. Mix well and pour into the egg mixture with salt and vanilla. Stir well. Pour mixture into wet moulds and chill until set. - Hannah Abisheganaden




Layer Agar-Agar with Gula Melaka & Milk
30g agar-agar powder, dissolve in 1/2 cup of water
1 litre water
300g palm sugar, grated
50g granulated sugar
2 pandan leaves , knotted
150ml water
250ml Marigold Evaporated Creamer
2 tbsp castor sugar
1/2 tsp salt

Method
Combine palm sugar, sugar, pandan leaves and 150ml water. Cook until sugar dissolves. Remove pandan leaves and sieve mixture. Put aside.

Put together one litre of water with agar-agar mixture and cook over medium fire, all the while stirring until mixture thickens.

Divide mixture into two portions. In one portion, add in Marigold Evaporated Creamer, sugar and salt. In the other portion, add in palm sugar mixture.

Wet 20 small agar-agar moulds. Spoon white agar-agar mixture into moulds, 0.5cm in thickness and once it starts to set, layer it with the palm sugar agar agar mixture. Repeat layers until it fills up to the rim of the mould. Chill in the refrigerator before serving. - Marigold