When the weather is hot and humid, there is nothing like a refreshing bite of coconut jelly.  We all grew up with some sort of gelatin desserts.  In the US, it was Jell-O.  In Vietnam, it’s coconut jelly or thạch dừa.  This dessert is usually made with fresh coconut juice from the abundance of coconut trees in the country.  Luckily, coconut juice has gain tremendous popularity in the US with many different brands that are easily accessible at the supermarket.  I tried this recipe with Zico water and found that it works just as good and without the hard labor of opening coconuts!  You can use any coconut water as long as it is natural without any added sugar or preservatives.  In this recipe, I demonstrate how to create the coconut jelly the original way and the new way with Zico water.

This recipe is rated easy and serves 1-2 coconut or 8 servings of 6-8 oz jars.

Ingredients

2 cups of coconut juice (use either Zico coconut water or fresh coconut juice)

1 teaspoon of agar agar powder (a gelatin)

1 can of coconut milk

2 tablespoons of sugar

1/8 teaspoon of salt

8 6-8 oz jars

Directions

Open the top of the coconut carefully with a sharp serrated knife and pour out the coconut juice.

OR

Boil 2 cups of coconut water and scoop away any impurities.

Once the coconut water starts to boil, turn off the heat and add 1 teaspoon of agar agar powder, 2 tablespoons of sugar and ⅛ teaspoon of salt.  Stir until the mixture completely dissolves.

Let the liquid cool off for 5 minutes, but before gelatin starts to form.

Pour out ⅓ of the coconut juice into another container and set aside.

If you are using a real coconut, pour the coconut juice mixture back into the coconut, up to ⅔ of the way.  Leave the remaining top portion for the coconut milk.

OR

If you are using the jars, fill ⅔ of the jar with the coconut juice.  Let the coconut juice continue to cool off in the fridge.

In the meantime, add 4 tablespoons of coconut milk to the coconut juice that was aside and stir to incorporate.

Once the gelatin in the coconut/ jar starts to form (only 5-10 minutes), slowly add 1-2 large spoons of the coconut milk to the side of the opening so that it covers the top portion.  Do not pour the coconut milk directly to the middle of the opening as this will break the coconut gelatin.  The goal is to have two layers of coconut gelatin and coconut milk.

Let this set for another ½ -1 hour and serve cold.

Enjoy this simple and refreshing dessert.

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Author:  Susan Tran and Chau Hoang