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Osmanthus jelly (gui hua gao)
桂花糕 gui hua gao: clear chilled osmanthus and goji jelly
In Hangzhou and Guilin the sweet osmanthus trees flower around Mid-Autumn, and their tiny golden blossoms are dried to scent teas, wine and this crystal-clear jelly, a light dessert after a mooncake-heavy festival meal. Set with agar instead of gelatine, it is vegan, firm enough to cut into neat squares, and studded with flowers and red goji berries. The mistake is adding all the flowers to hot liquid at once: they float to the top in a crowd, so stir them in once the mix starts to thicken. Chef's tip: a mould with layers of flowers suspended all through looks far prettier than one with all the petals at the top.
- Total time
- 25 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
- 3 ¼ cups water
- 2 ½ tsp agar powder
- 2 ⅞ oz rock sugaror caster sugar
- 2 tbsp dried osmanthus flowers
- 2 tbsp goji berriesrinsed
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Pour boiling water over half of 2 tbsp dried osmanthus flowers, steep for 5 minutes and strain, keeping the tea for colour and scent. Add to 3 ¼ cups water.
Step 2: Whisk 2 ½ tsp agar powder into the liquid and leave for 5 minutes, then bring to the boil over a medium heat and simmer for 2 minutes, whisking, until fully dissolved. Stir in 2 ⅞ oz rock sugar until melted.
7 minStep 3: Take off the heat and cool for 10 minutes, stirring now and then, until slightly thickened but still pourable.
10 minStep 4: Stir in 2 tbsp goji berries and the remaining 2 tbsp dried osmanthus flowers, then pour into a 18 cm square dish or small moulds.
Step 5: Chill for 2 hours until set. Cut into squares and serve cold. Keeps 3 days in the fridge.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 45 kcal
- Protein
- 0 g
- Carbs
- 11 g
- Fat
- 0 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does osmanthus jelly (gui hua gao) take?
- About 25 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of rock sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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