Posted: 4/23/06 at 8:03PM | IP Logged

One of my favorite snack foods as a kid was this clear jello-ish thing we called "chai en."  It was essentially jello, witha slightly firmer texture, and you could add different fruits or even milk to the mixture.

So I was at 99 Ranch yesterday and I decided I'd try making some.  I'd seen my mom buy the stuff before, so I knew what the English name for it was: Agar.  For all of you biology nerds, yes, this is indeed what's used in petre dishes.

So I knew what it looked like, and I essentially knew how to make it (bring it to a slow boil, stir until it dissolves, add sugar, and wait for it to cool and toss it in the fridge), but I didn't know how much of anything to put in.  So below, is my first ever attempt at making agar-agar jello.

1.5 oz dried agar-agar

10 cups water

1 cup sugar

I first washed the agar-agar in cold water and let it soak for about 10 minutes.  Then, in I brought it up slowly to boil in 10 cups of water.  Once most of the agar-agar was dissolved, I added 1 cup of sugar and cooked it until the sugar was dissolved.

After letting it cool, I poured the agar-agar into bowls and put it in the fridge to harden.

I’m eating my first bowl now, and I can already say that it’s a bit too firm, and not sweet enough.  So next time, I think I’ll go for 2 cups of sugar and perhaps 15 cups of water.

It’s still very tasty though and reminds me of home, and being a kid and all that good stuff!

Posted: 10/22/07 at 11:27AM | IP Logged

Final proportions:

1.5 oz dried agar-agar

12 cups water

2 cups whole milk

2 tablespoons almond extract

2 cups sugar