How to Make Lychee Jelly for Bubble Tea

❓What is jelly boba

Most commonly used boba balls for bubble teas are tapioca pearls or tapioca balls. These are made with tapioca starch and shaped into round balls. These boba pearls are then cooked into chewy pearls and mixed with brown sugar syrup and added to milk teas.

Jelly bobas, on the other hand are made with jelly powder or agar agar powder. They have a chewy texture (although not as chewy as the tapioca pearls) and are often cut into cubes and added to milk teas and fruit teas.

Jelly boba can also be combined with tapioca pearls or nata de coco to make a fun delicious add-on for these pearl teas. 

❓What is lychee fruit

• Lychees are tropical fruits commonly found in Southeast Asia. They are small and round, almost the size of strawberries. The fruits are red in color when ripe and have a thin coarse skin that is inedible. On the inside is the edible flesh and at the core of each fruit is a long brown seed, also inedible.
• Lychee flesh is sweet and juicy and has a slight hint of citrus taste. The sweet scent of lychee and its sweet fragrant taste is a distinct feature of these fruits.
• Lychees are not only great to be eaten plain as fresh fruit, they are great for baking and desserts. These fruits are commonly used in many Asian desserts and drinks (lychee jelly, lychee syrup, lychee tea, lychee lemonade, lychee green tea, lychee ice cream).
• While it may be difficult to find fresh lychees, these fruits are easily available, canned. You can find canned lychees (in syrup) in most Asian supermarket or grocery store.

❤️Why you will love this recipe

• This fruit bubble tea is an easy drink to make and uses fairly simple ingredients.
• You get to learn how to make your own beverage with easy to follow steps.
• The recipe makes lovely black tea based fruit tea, filled with delicious lychee jelly boba. When served with ice cubes, it makes an excellent drink on a hot summer day. 
• The lychee jelly is a great variation for tapioca pearls in milk teas and can be used in other drinks too.
• The sweet fragrant taste of the lychees in the milk tea makes this a great variation to classic milk tea recipe with brown sugar pearls.

📋Ingredients

Lychee jelly

• Konnyaku jelly powder - this is similar to agar agar jelly except that it has a more chewy texture.
• Lychee fruits (canned) - Canned lychees are preferred as their taste is consistent and the jelly requires the lychee infused syrup from the can.
• Lychee syrup (from the canned lychees)
• White sugar - to sweeten the jelly. Use white sugar. Both coarse sugar or granulated sugar will work for this recipe.
• Water - use filtered water.

Milk tea

• Black tea bags - Any type of black tea can be used. I prefer to use tea bags as they do not require to be strained unlike loose leaf tea.
• Water -use filtered water.
• White sugar - sweetens the tea. Both coarse sugar or granulated sugar will work for this recipe.
• Milk - use whole milk for a creamy milk tea.

🧾Substitution and Variations

• Konnyaku jelly powder can be substituted with agar agar powder. Use exact same quantity as the konnyaku jelly powder.
• Tea bags can be replaced with loose tea leaves. Use 1 teaspoon of loose tea for each tea bag.
• White sugar for making the milk tea can be replaced with brown sugar.
• Whole milk can be substituted with low fat milk or plant based milks like almond milk or oat milk. You can also use non-dairy creamers to make your tea. Alternatively, you can also milk made with milk powder.

Making the lychee jelly boba

1. Mix jelly powder with the sugar. Set aside.
2. Add the lychees into the food processor.
3. Add water and lychee syrup from the can.
4. Blend until the lychees are smooth. Transfer the lychee juice into a medium sized pot. Turn on the heat to low.
5. Add the sugar and jelly powder mix. Stir to disperse the mix into the liquid. Let it cook over low to medium heat until the sugar and jelly powder is all dissolved. Continue cooking the jelly on medium heat until the jelly solution comes to a rolling boil. This will ensure the jelly is completely dissolved.
6. Turn of the heat and pour the cooked jelly solution into a shallow tin or tray. Let the jelly cool slightly before placing it in the fridge to set completely.

Making the lychee milk tea

1. Pour water into a small pot.
2. Turn on the heat to medium and let the water come to a boil. Turn off the heat and add the black tea bags.
3. Cover and let the tea steep for 3 minutes.
4. Remove the lid, and remove the tea bags. Squeeze the tea for the tea bags with a back of a spoon and discard the bags.
5. Add the tea to milk. Stir to mix.
6. Add sugar to the milk tea. Stir to dissolve.

Cutting the jelly boba

Once the jelly boba is set (it should be firm when you press it with your finger), you can cut it to make the boba.

To transfer the jelly out onto a cutting board, loosen the sides with a palette knife. It may be difficult to transfer the jelly out even by turning the tray upside down and tapping it. Here is how I do it:

1. Use a spatula to loosen the sides of the jelly.
2. Cut the jelly into half.
3. Turn it over onto a large plate. If it does not drop, lift the tray slightly and try to push the jelly out with your fingers. Do it gently to avoid breaking the jelly.
4. Place the jelly onto a cutting board. Cut the jelly into strips making sure the width of the strips can pass through your bubble tea straws. At the same time, try not to cut the jelly cubes too small as you want them to be noticeable in your bubble tea.
5. Next, cut the strips into small cubes, again, making sure the width is consistent.
6. Transfer the cubed jelly boba into a bowl. Chill in the fridge until ready to assemble the tea.

🍽️Serving & storage

• The lychee jelly requires at least one to two hours of chilling time to set completely. It can be used immediately after that or kept refrigerated for a good 4 to 5 days. Jelly should be kept in covered container.
• Once assembled into the lychee milk tea, the drink is best consumed within 2 days. Keep the tea frigerated until serving time.

💡Expert Tips

• Mixing the jelly powder and sugar before adding to the liquid will help avoid the jelly powder from clumping.
• When cooking the jelly, it is very important to make sure the jelly powder is completely dissolved or else the jelly will not set properly. One way to ensure this is to cook the jelly to a rolling boil point over medium heat.
• Jelly sets quicker in lower temperatures, hence if you want to set the lychee jelly quickly, refrigerating it will help.
• When cutting the jelly, make sure the cubes are small enough to pass through a bubble tea straw. For that purpose and for easy cutting of the jelly, the jelly is best poured into a shallow tray or tin. I used a 9 inches square cake tin to pour my jelly. That way, the jelly was thin enough that I need not slice it into half horizontally before cutting it into cubes.

💭FAQs