Alternative names | Leaf jelly, Cincau |
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Course | Dessert |
Place of origin | China |
Region or state | East Asia and Southeast Asia |
Created by | Hakka people |
Serving temperature | chilled or hot |
Main ingredients | Platostoma palustre (Mesona chinensis) stalks and leaves, potassium carbonate, starch |
Grass jelly | |||||||||||||||||||
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Chinese name | |||||||||||||||||||
Traditional Chinese | 涼粉 | ||||||||||||||||||
Simplified Chinese | 凉粉 | ||||||||||||||||||
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Alternative Chinese name | |||||||||||||||||||
Chinese | 仙草 | ||||||||||||||||||
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Second alternative Chinese name | |||||||||||||||||||
Chinese | 草粿 | ||||||||||||||||||
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Vietnamese name | |||||||||||||||||||
Vietnamese alphabet | sương sáo thạch đen | ||||||||||||||||||
Thai name | |||||||||||||||||||
Thai | เฉาก๊วย | ||||||||||||||||||
RTGS | chaokuai |
Grass jelly,also known as leaf jelly or herb jelly,is a jelly-like dessert originating from China. It is commonly consumed in East Asia and Southeast Asia. It is created by using Chinese mesona (a member of the mint family) and has a mild,slightly bitter taste. Grass jelly was invented by the Hakka people who historically used the food to alleviate heat stroke after long days working in the field. The dish was introduced to Southeast Asia by the Chinese diaspora. [1] [2] It is served chilled,with other toppings such as fruit,or in bubble tea or other drinks. Outside Asia,it is sold in Asian supermarkets.
Unsweetened grass jelly contains,per 500 grams,2.5 grams of protein and about 15 grams of carbohydrates,of which 0.5 grams are from dietary fiber. Grass jelly has no fat,vitamins,or minerals.
Grass jelly is made by boiling the aged and slightly oxidized stalks and leaves of Platostoma palustre (Mesona chinensis) [3] [4] with potassium carbonate and a little starch for several hours. The liquid cools to a jelly-like consistency,and this jelly can be cut into cubes or other shapes. [3] [5] The jelly is then mixed with syrup to produce a drink or dessert thought to have cooling (yin) properties,suitable for hot weather. The jelly itself is fragrant with a smoky undertone [6] and is a translucent dark brown or black. Food coloring may sometimes be added to make it darker.
Preparation of other variants,known as green grass jelly,requires no cooking or heating process and is made from only a mixture of leaf extracts and water. Jelly produced in this way has been described as having a leafy,neutral flavor. [7]
In China,grass jelly is considered a signature dish of the Hakka people. [2]
In Mainland China,Hong Kong and Macau,grass jelly was traditionally served with sugar syrup. Now it is often served mixed with other ingredients,such as mango,sago,watermelon,cantaloupe,and other fresh or canned fruit,and condensed or evaporated milk.
Although this dish is sometimes called liangfen (leung fan) in Chinese,it should not be confused with the Chinese starch jelly liangfen ,which is an entirely different dish.
In Taiwan,grass jelly is known as 仙草(xian cao),and is used in various desserts and drinks. It can sometimes be added to boba drinks and shaved ice (刨冰). It is also commonly used in a traditional Taiwanese dessert where the jelly is melted to be consumed as a thick pudding-like dessert (燒仙草),with numerous toppings like tangyuan,taro balls,azuki beans,and tapioca. The plant is also made into mesona tea (仙草茶).
Grass jelly is known as cincau in Indonesian,which is derived from the Amoy Hokkien word 清草(chhin chháu). It is also known as camcao,juju,janggelan or kepleng in Javanese,camcauh in Sundanese,and daluman in Bali. Black jelly (cincau hitam) is manufactured as an instant powder,like other instant jellies or agar. This form is easier to use. It is made from the leaves of Platostoma palustre (Mesona palustris).
There are other plants that were used in Indonesia to make grass jelly. They are Melastoma polyanthum ,known as cincau perdu, [8] and Cyclea barbata ,known as cincau hijau or green grass jelly, [9] and Cocculus orbiculatus or known as cincau Cina or Chinese green grass jelly. [10] Some plants from genus Stephania such as Stephania hernandifolia (also known as Stephania japonica) and Stephania capitata are also being used as a substitute to create green grass jelly called cincau minyak or oily grass jelly. [10]
Usually,the process of making Indonesian green grass jelly doesn't require a cooking or heating process. Mixing leaf extract and water with the addition of a period of waiting time for coagulation at mild room temperature is enough.
Indonesian green grass jelly has a distinct flavor compared to black grass jelly. It is absent of smoky flavor,almost no bitter taste,and has a mild leafy flavor. Due to its plain neutral flavor,it is usually consumed with sugar water,syrup,coconut milk,and ice.
Plain grass jelly is mixed in various kinds of desserts,such as ais kacang and cendol . It is also mixed with cold soy milk and served as a refreshing drink/dessert,a drink known as Michael Jackson in South-East Asia (a reference to Michael Jackson's changing skin color and/or the song "Black or White"). [11] Various combinations of grass jelly with rose flavoured syrup added to milk (bandung) are called "bandung cincau" or "bancau" for short. There is also shaved ice with grass jelly toppings. It can be green or brown.
Grass jelly (Philippine:gulaman) bricks are used in the various Philippine refreshments or desserts such as sago’t gulaman,buko-pandan,agar flan or halo-halo . It may be used in fruit salads or eaten with milk or tea.
In Thailand,grass jelly is known as chaokuai (Thai :เฉาก๊วย,pronounced [t͡ɕʰǎw.kúa̯j] ) derived from Teochew (Chinese :草粿, Pe̍h-ūe-jī: tsháu-kué). It is commonly served relatively plain together with ice and natural brown sugar. Additionally, it can also be served with fruits such as jackfruit, the fruit of the toddy palm or mixed with other Thai desserts.
In Vietnamese, grass jelly is called sương sáo or thạch sương sáo and the name is also derived from Teochew (Chinese :仙草, Peng'im: siêng1 cao2). Grass jelly is chopped in small cubes and served as an additional ingredient in sweet desserts made from various kinds of beans ( chè ). There are two common kinds of grass jelly in Vietnam which are Platostoma palustre (Mesona chinensis, called sương sáo in Vietnamese) and Tiliacora triandra (called sương sâm; sương sa or rau câu is the name for jelly made from various kinds of algae). It is common now to eat green grass jelly (thạch lá găng) with douhua (tào phớ) and grass jelly (sương sáo or thạch đen) in the summer.
In Mauritius, the grass jelly is cut into cubes and is added into water and sugar or in syrup water to make a cold drink called "Mousse Noir" which is literally translated as "black jelly" in English. [12] The Mousse noir is of Chinese origins and is a reflection of the Sino-Mauritians influence on the Mauritian cuisine. [13] The mousse noir is well-known and well-appreciated by Mauritians. [14] It can be made at home, [12] or it can be purchased in local supermarkets where it is widely accessible. [14] The mousse noir is also manufactured by local Mauritian companies, such as Sunny Food Canners, and can be found in the original flavour or can come in different flavours; such as coffee, aloe vera, and melon. [15]
Dessert is a course that concludes a meal. The course consists of sweet foods, such as cake, biscuit, ice cream and possibly a beverage such as dessert wine and liqueur. Some cultures sweeten foods that are more commonly savory to create desserts. In some parts of the world there is no tradition of a dessert course to conclude a meal.
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Ais kacang, literally meaning "bean ice", also commonly known as ABC, meaning "mixed ice"), is a Malaysian dessert which is common in Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei.
A falooda is a Mughalai cold dessert made with vermicelli. It has origins in the Persian dish faloodeh, variants of which are found across West, Central, South and Southeast Asia. Traditionally it is made by mixing rose syrup, vermicelli, and sweet basil seeds with milk, often served with ice cream. The vermicelli used for preparing falooda is made from wheat, arrowroot, cornstarch, or sago.
Bandung, sirap bandung, air bandung, iced bandung or rose syrup drink is a drink popular in Maritime Southeast Asia, notably in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. It consists of evaporated milk or condensed milk flavoured with rose syrup, giving it a pink colour.
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Cendol is an iced sweet dessert that contains droplets of pandan-flavoured green rice flour jelly, coconut milk and palm sugar syrup. It is commonly found in Southeast Asia and is popular in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Cambodia, East Timor, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, Philippines, and Myanmar. Next to the green jelly, additional toppings might be added, including diced jackfruit, sweetened red azuki beans, or durian.
Shaved ice is a large family of ice-based desserts made of fine shavings of ice and sweet condiments or syrups. Usually, the syrup is added after the ice has been frozen and shaved—typically at the point of sale; however, flavoring can also be added before freezing. The dessert is consumed worldwide in various forms and ways. Shaved ice can also be mixed with large quantities of liquid to produce shaved ice drinks.
Chè is any traditional Vietnamese sweet beverage, dessert soup or stew, or pudding. Chè includes a wide variety of distinct soups or puddings. Varieties of Chè can be made with mung beans, black-eyed peas, kidney beans, tapioca, jelly, fruit, and coconut cream. Other types are made with ingredients such as salt, aloe vera, seaweed, lotus seed, sesame seed, sugar palm seeds, taro, cassava and pandan leaf extract. Some varieties, such as chè trôi nước, may also include dumplings. Chè are often prepared with one of a number of varieties of beans, tubers, and/or glutinous rice, cooked in water and sweetened with sugar. In southern Vietnam, chè are often garnished with coconut creme.
Frozen dessert is a dessert made by freezing liquids, semi-solids, and sometimes solids. They may be based on flavored water, on fruit purées, on milk and cream, on custard, on mousse (semifreddo), and others. It is sometimes sold as ice-cream in South Asia and other countries.
Platostoma palustre, commonly known as Chinese mesona, is a species of plant belonging to the genus Platostoma of the mint family. The species grows extensively in East Asia such as south east China, Japan and Taiwan preferring ravines, grassy, dry, and sandy areas. The plants are from 15 to 100 cm high with hairy stems and leaves. The leaves are tear-drop shaped and serrated.
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Platostoma is a genus of flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae, first described as a genus in 1818. It is native to tropical parts of Africa, southern Asia, Papuasia, and Australia. Mesona and Acrocephalus has been known as its synonyms.
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Stephania capitata also known as sumbat kendi or vase plug in Indonesian is a medicinal plant that was commonly used as a substitute of Cyclea barbata to produce green grass jelly.
本品加水與少許鹹共同煎汁,添加少許澱粉漿可製成仙草凍,是夏天常吃的清涼飲品