Pandan flavoured agar agar

Agar agar, derived from seaweed, is nutritious and healthy. By itself, it contains no calories but has plenty of fiber.

Made into jelly and served cold, it is the perfect way to end a meal, especially in summer.

Agar agar comes as powder, flakes and strips. Of the three, it's easiest to use the powder as it dissolves very quickly. But at school, we were taught to cook with the strips.

Use a pair of scissors to snip the agar agar into 1" lengths. Half fill a cup with water and press the cut strips lightly into it. That is considered a cup. Of course, if you have a digital weighing scale, you can just weigh the strips. A cup of agar agar should weigh around 20 grams.

Put the agar agar and water into a saucepan and them bring to a boil.

I love the flavour of pandan in my agar agar so I knot 2 leaves and put that also into the saucepan.

It takes about 15- 20 minutes or so to cook the agar agar until all the strands have dissolved, then add in the sugar and bring it back to the boil. When it starts to boil, remove from the flame. Add in the coconut milk. Remove the pandan leaves, add a little green food colouring and strain into a mould.

Leave to cool, it would have set by then, and then chill in the fridge. The coconut milk rises to the top and forms a lighter layer. Cut into slices and serve cold.

Enjoy your cold and delicious agar agar jelly.

Another favourite flavour is rose. In which case, omit the pandan leaves, add a few drops of rose essence and a tiny drop of red food colour so the jelly turns pink. You could even omit the coconut milk, add an extra cup of water and proceed with the recipe. But remember to flavour it.

Pandan flavoured agar agar

Ingredients
20 gm agar agar, cut into 1" lengths
3 cups water
2 pandan leaves, knotted
100-120 gm sugar
1 cup freshly squeezed thick coconut milk
A pinch of salt
Green food colour

Method
Put agar agar strips, water and the pandan leaves in a saucepan, bring it all to a boil.
Stir the contents occasionally till the strips are no longer visible.
Add the sugar and when it comes back to the boil, remove from flame.
Add the coconut milk, salt and a drop of food colouring.
Remove the leaves and strain the jelly into a mould. Do it quickly before it sets.
Cool till it reaches room temperature.
Chill in the fridge, cut in slices before serving.