Grass Jelly
"I should make some too..."
"...thanks for the reminder," says Mom and proceeds to prattle off its wondrous virtues.
"Um, that's really great, but you still haven't told me how to make it yet...," I trailed off after a few more minutes of hearing what sounded like a sales pitch for the miracle grass jelly.
"Oh right," says Mom and starts to rely the directions, which, to her credit is simplistic. If you can make jello, you can definitely make grass jelly because, well, it is jello. Made from a plant called mesona chinensis (part of the mint family), it can be slightly bitter in taste and smell somewhat medicinal (hence the health benefits), but when paired with a sweetener, it makes for the perfect guilt-free dessert.
"Wait, I really don't add ginger?" I asked confused, as Mom directed me on how to make the syrup pairing.
"No, you're confusing that with Tofu Fa, it's just water and the brown sugar block, you remember that right?
Oh do I ever. Growing up in the Phan kingdom, reigned over by Mamma Li, meant no candy unless it was Halloween or Christmas. No exceptions. But remember when I said I was rambunctious? Yea that rule didn't stop me from trying because, guys, I was six, sugar was my fuel (until I discovered the wonders of coffee).
Whenever Mom made desserts like grass jelly, she would use a very specific type of sugar. It came in a layered rectangular block, the top and bottom would be a darker brown with the middle lighter, almost creamy looking. The package literally reads "Brown Candy."
Mom kept it buried in a container in the topmost corner cabinet—a bit of a reach for a very tiny Vilina. But whenever she left for bible study and Sis was in charge, I would grab a chair, get on the counter and dig through the cabinet until I found it.
I felt like I had acquired the Holy Grail—eating it until I started feeling sick. I didn't even feel bad, just accomplished. I guess that's why I'm the "black sheep" of the family.
I never got in trouble, but I'm sure Mom knew—she also just knew when to pick her battles.
One recent weekend home I told Sis I was making grass jelly for Soy + Ginger and she fondly recounted the times she would sneak into the corner cabinet to nab some "Brown Candy." MIND BLOWN. Looks like the Golden Child wasn't so different from the Black Sheep after all.
"I mean you can put ginger in it, but most people don't, so I wouldn't recommend it, actually don't put ginger in the syrup," Mom says.
"Okay," I conceded, before moving on to gossiping about family members because that's what we do best.
Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 30 minutes
INGREDIENTS (FOR 2)
| 1/4 cup grass jelly powder |
| 1 3/4 cup cold water |
| 1 block Brown Candy* |
*Brown sugar can be used as substitute. The equivalent of 1 block is 1/2 cup of sugar
PREPARE
1. Measure out 1 cup of water and bring to a boil.
2. Take another 1/4 cup of water from your reserve and mix it with the grass jelly powder until it dissolves.
COOK
1. With the water boiling, pour the grass jelly mixture into the pot and stir well to prevent burning.
2. When the mixture starts to boil, turn off the stove and pour into a heat-proof bowl (depending on how you would like to serve it, you can pour it into one big bowl and separate it out as you eat, or into individual serving size bowls).
3. Let cool. When it comes to room temperature, put in fridge for at least 2 hours or until chilled.
4. As science turns liquid into jello in your fridge, break the brown candy into pieces because it's time to make what is essentially simple syrup—yea it only took 24 years to that figure out, and it's only because it was pointed out to me.
5. Pour the rest of the water (there should be 1/2 cup left) into a small pot and mix with brown sugar pieces, stirring frequently until it is broken down into a syrup state.
6. Take off stove and let cool.
EAT
Once the grass jelly is chilled, take a knife and slice it as if you're making a tic-tac-toe box. Pour as much or as little syrup as you please on top. Mix it up with a spoon and enjoy!
Our family prefers the syrup, but another popular pairing with grass jelly is condensed milk. Try out both and see which you like better!
