Mixed Fruits with Grass Jelly

A traditional Chinese dessert that’s almost too simple to call a recipe, but the kind of cool, lightly sweet finish that hot weather demands. Cubes of grass jelly (the slightly bitter, herbal jelly made from a Chinese mint family plant) get tumbled with sweet canned lychee and bright mandarin oranges, juice and all. Three ingredients, ten minutes of work, infinitely refreshing.

The contrast is what makes this work. Grass jelly has a slightly bitter, almost medicinal note that balances the canned fruit’s sugar in a way fresh fruit alone never could. The texture is the other star: jelly cubes are soft but bouncy, lychee is silky-soft, mandarin segments add little citrus pops. Every spoonful is a different sensation.

Serve it cold, ideally chilled in the fridge for a couple of hours before scooping. Warm or room-temperature grass jelly turns watery and loses its springy texture; the chill is essential.

Pro Tips

• Open both ends of the grass jelly can to push the jelly out cleanly without breaking it.
• Use the lychee juice for sweetness; that’s the only sugar in the dessert.
• Cut grass jelly cubes uniformly so they distribute evenly with the fruit.
• Keep covered in the fridge; grass jelly absorbs fridge odors fast.

Variations

• Add a scoop of coconut milk over the top for a richer, creamier dessert.
• Stir in fresh longan or rambutan when in season for tropical variety.
• Top with crushed ice and sweetened condensed milk for a Hong Kong-style ice dessert.