The osthmanthus flower is a small, yellow (or white) flower that grows on small shrubs or trees and has a strong and sweet fragrance, which is why it is very popularly used as a flavour of tea as a dried flower. Many people also believe that the flower has medicinal uses, especially when it comes to the complexion and detoxification of the body.
The dried osthmanthus flower is sold in many Chinese herbal shops in small bottles. One bottle of it would usually last you a long time because one would only need a few teaspoons of it to flavour a dish. I’ve actually been wanting to try out this recipe since four years ago, when I was still pregnant, but was deterred by online comments about how it might not be good to eat this while pregnant (can’t recall what the reason was). Now that the boy is almost four years old, I finally decided I should get a bottle to make this jelly for everyone at home.
This jelly is really easy to make, in a few simple steps as you can see below. It’s a lovely and dainty little dish to serve your guests too, especially during the Chinese festive season.
Ingredients:
- Water: 950ml (refer to instructions on konnyaku packet)
- Osthmanthus flower: 3 tsp (1.5 tsp for every 400ml of water)
- Konnyaku jelly powder: 1 packet (10g)
- Caster sugar: 200g
- Wolfberry: 2 tbsp
Method:
- Bring water to a boil.
- Add osthmanthus flower. Boil for 2min.
- Add konnyaku jelly powder and sugar. Stir to dissolve.
- Simmer till mixture thickens. Turn heat off.
- Place wolfberries (about 3 – 4 pieces) into each mould. Pour jelly mixture into mold.
- Leave to cool down for 10min. Then place into fridge to set for 1hr.
Trick:
- You will need to quickly add the wolfberries into the jelly mixture once they are in the mould as konnyaku tends to set very quickly even at room temperature. The best way to do this is to place the wolfberries into the mold first before pouring the mixture into it.
Serving:
About 25 bite-sized jellies
