Chendol Agar Agar

The weather is really unpredictable, one moment it can be raining and the next it 's scotching hot. With such hot and humid weather condition, one really need to stay hydrated and cool down with something nice and cold. I cannot help thinking what desert can I make that's cooling. And guess what, I got lucky this Saturday to taste a yummy agar-agar desert! Cool!

A nice lady friend from my girls' ballet school have gracefully brought some of her homemade Chendol agar-agar to share. It was an instant hit, all the mothers loved it and asked for the recipe. She painstaking wrote down the recipe and explain every detail steps and tricks in making this delicious desert. Thank you so so much!! Though I did promise her I am going to make some blueberry cream cheese pound cake for her the following week, haha!

After I got the recipe, I simply can not wait to make and taste the agar agar again! The next day I searched high and low for the agar-agar powder she specified(apparently other brands will not yield this wonderful texture). I was lucky enough to find it in a nearby wet market, yoohoo! I bought the rest of the ingredients and got to work immediately. The batch was more then enough for me to share with a group of my friends this afternoon for tea. And it did not surprise me that they love it too! This is definitely a keeper.

My friend has gracefully agreed to share this recipe with everyone...say thank you to Gilynn!

Ingredients A:
1 tbsp mermaid brand agar-agar powder
750ml thin coconut milk (1 coconut's milk + water)
200g gula melaka, chopped fine

Ingredients B:
1 tbsp mermaid brand agar-agar powder
180g white caster sugar
800ml thick coconut milk (2 coconut's milk + water)

Ingredient C:
300g chendol (green jelly with pandan scent) - rinsed and placed in freezer for 30 mins before using

2 pandan leaves (optional)

METHOD:

• In a sauce pot, add all the ingredients in, making sure the agar agar powder has dissolved before turning on the fire. Add pandan leave to enhance fragrance(optional).
  
• Stir well, making sure the gula melaka is melted. Bring mixture to a full boil and remove from the heat.
  
• Pour mixture into desired mold, amount should be enough for 10" by 10" square pan or into desired jelly molds. Let cool or optionally, place over a bath of ice cold water.
• While the first layer is cooling, add all the ingredients in Set B in another sauce pot.
• Again making sure the agar agar powder has dissolved before boiling the solution. Add pandan leave to enhance fragrance(optional). Remove from heat and let cool for 5 mins.
  
• Remove the chilled chendol from the freezer and add it into Set B and stir well.
  
• Before adding Set B over the 1st layer, make sure the 1st layer is solidified , then use a fork and run it over the surface to create slight rough surface. This allows the 2nd layer to adhere better.
• Pour Set B solution over 1st layer and let cool.
• Chill in the refrigerator and cut into desired shapes. Bon appetito!

How should I describe the taste of this yummy cold desert. The texture is just right, not too hard or too soft. The gula melaka and the pandan is really fragrant and well balanced taste. I have reduce the amount of sugar a little from the original recipe and it's just right for my taste buds. Popping one in your mouth is like eating Chendol itself! Or should I say, this is the next best thing to eating the real thing. :) According to my friend, this keeps really well, up to 3 days in the coldest part of your refrigerator. (that's if I haven't chomp down everything already, hahah!) And I was really happy that I have this delicious agar-agar waiting for me in the fridge whenever I need a cold snack to cool down from the warm weathers. ;D