Coconut, Rose & Pandan Agar Agar Jell-O

It officially turned summer for us here in the Northern hemisphere yesterday. Gee.. I could almost smell that fried egg on the sidewalk as the weatherperson on tv droned on endlessly about some red flag warning. One place you don't want to be in during the summer is my kitchen. When I own my own place, the first thing I'm getting is an air-conditioner for the kitchen. For now, I'm stuck with my 5-year-old 10 bucks 3-speed standing fan. Oh well, I guess I'll be bringing something cold and sweet and most importantly, requires no baking, over to Sugar High Friday at Domestic Goddess kitchen.

I was thinking of a particular Asian Jell-O / Agar Agar / Pudding-like dessert recipe, layered with Coconut, Rose and Pandan flavors. I don't quite know what to name this. Coconut, Rose and Pandan Jell-O ? Coconut, Rose, and Pandan Agar Agar ? or Coconut, Rose and Pandan Pudding ? Well, the recipe's a combination of all of the above. It has got that medium firm wiggly jiggly texture, like Jello. Yet it remains solid at room temperature and doesn't melt in the heat because of the agar agar. And since I've added egg whites and mixed in coconut milk like in a pudding, should I just name it "Coconut, Rose and Pandan Agar Agar Jell-O Pudding"? The recipe's relatively easy, main ingredient is just a pack of 79 cents agar agar powder, no baking and ready in 15 minutes. The result is utterly cooling, light, and sin-lessly delicious ! :)

Because its extracted from natural seaweed, agar agar contains 84% in fiber, hence it makes one of the best source of natural food fibers available. Like other algae foods, agar agar also provides a good source of iron, calcium and iodine. It is also calorie-free. So..will this help cut a few inches off the waist line ? Put yourself on an agar agar jell-o diet and let me know.. hahaha :P

Also check out some other cooling delights :
Steamy Kitchen Coconut Frozen Yogurt
Wandering Chopsticks Homemade Frozen Yogurt

My other freaky-hot Sugar High Friday entries :
Japanese Mochi
Pandan Coconut Muffins

Have a great summer treat !:)


Coconut, Rose And Pandan Agar Agar Jell-O Recipe
(Makes 4 servings)

Ingredients :
1 pack ( 7 gm ) agar agar powder ( Swallow Globe brand )
100 ml thick coconut milk
1000 ml water
200 gm sugar
3 egg whites
1 tsp Pandan extract ( Aroma Pasta brand )
1 tsp Rose extract ( Aroma Pasta brand )

Toppings ( optional ) :
Your favorite fruits, ie. Strawberries and Blueberries

Method :
1) In a bowl, whisk the egg whites until the meringue holds soft peaks, and set aside.
2) Prepare some empty jell-o molds/plastic cups, and let them chill in the freezer.
3) In a pot, bring the water to a boil, mix in the sugar and the agar agar powder, stir well and let cook for 2 minutes until the mixture is blended well.
4) Add coconut milk, turn heat to medium-low, let boil and turn off heat.
5) Mix the prepared meringue with the cooked agar agar solution. Mix well, and divide into 3 portions in 3 separate bowls.
6) For the first agar agar portion, add Pandan extract and mix well (Pandan flavor).
For the second agar agar portion, add Rose extract and mix well (Rose flavor).
As for the third portion, leave it as it is (Coconut flavor).
7) Bring out the chilled jell-o molds/plastic cups from the freezer. Make half an inch layer for each of the jell-o mold/cups with the divided agar agar portion, coconut flavor on the bottom mold, rose on the second, and pandan on the top. For each layer, it'll take 20-30 seconds for it to get firm.
8) When complete, chill the agar agar cups before serving.

Note : For the meringue, make sure the bowl is completely grease-free, else, meringue will not stiffen. For the agar agar layering process, I chose to put them in the freezer for 10 seconds per layer. Touch and feel to check if it's firm enough before layering the remaining agar agar portions.