Lychee Jelly (Easy Recipe with Fruits)

❓What is Konnyaku Jelly?

• Konnyaku jelly is the Japanese term for a plant-based jelly from the plant Konjac.
• You can read all about it here on Wikipedia. It is often used in a similar way as the agar jelly, but the texture of konnyaku jelly is a lot chewier.

❓What is Lychee?

• Lychees are tropical fruits commonly found in the Southeast Asia region. The fruits are small and round, almost the size of strawberries. These fruits have a thin, red and coarse skin that needs to be peeled to enjoy the juicy white flesh on the inside. At the core of each fruit is a long, brown seed that is discarded.
• Lychees have a sweet and slightly citrus taste. These juicy fruits are great to be enjoyed fresh and are also often used to make various Asian desserts and delicious drinks.
• You can make lychee lemonade by mixing lychee syrup and lemon juice or lychee tea by mixing lychee flavored syrup into black tea, green tea or jasmine tea. Served chilled, both drinks are perfect for hot summer days.

❤️Why you will love this recipe

• This is an easy jelly recipe.
• It is not only delicious, but very pretty too.
• It is great to be served at parties and special occasions.
• Konnyaku or Japanese jelly is of a plant origin and is absolutely vegan. All the ingredients used in this recipe are vegan ingredients making this fruity jelly a great dessert choice for both vegetarians and vegans.

📋Ingredients

• Konnyaku jelly powder - also known as Japanese jelly, you can find these sold in powder form in small packets. Choose clear, unflavored jelly.
• Canned lychees (with the syrup) - I prefer to use canned lychees as the taste of the fruits is more consistent and the lychee infused syrup adds more flavor to the jelly.
• Canned pineapple (cubed) -similar to the lychees, canned pineapple are more consistent in taste. Use cubed pineapple. If using ring pineapple, cut the rings into cubes.
• White sugar - both coarse sugar or granulated sugar will work for this jelly recipe. Avoid colored sugar like brown sugar to preserve the color of the jelly.
• Water - use filtered water.
• Yellow food color (optional) - this is optional and can be left out if preferred.
• Rosemary leaves for garnish (optional)

🧾Substitution and variations

• Konnyaku jelly powder can be substituted with agar agar powder. Use the exact same quantity as indicated in the recipe.
• Canned fruits can be replaced with fresh lychee fruits and fresh pineapples. Replace the canned syrup with water and increase the sugar in the recipe to 250g. If your jelly package comes with instructions on the amount of water to use, it is best to follow the instructions on the package. Mine indicated 950ml hence the total liquid (lychee sugar syrup + water) I used in making the jelly is 950ml.

Preparing the bundt jelly mold

• The first step in making this lychee jelly is to prepare the mold. This is because the jelly will start to set as it cools down, so it is important that the mold is ready to pour the jelly solution into. I used a Nordic Ware bundt cake tin to make this pineapple lychee jelly, but you can also use smaller jelly cups to turn this jelly cake into lychee jelly cups.

Cooking the jelly

1. Start by mixing the konnyaku jelly powder with sugar. Combine well. Mixing helps the jelly powder to spread out, and this will avoid it from forming clumps when added to the hot liquid solution in the next steps.
2. Separate the canned pineapple cubes from the syrup. Discard the syrup. Leave the fruits aside. Next, separate the canned lychees from the syrup in its can. Pour the syrup (lychee juice) into a measuring cup.
3. Add water to the lychee syrup until it reaches 950ml.
4. Pour the liquid into a pot. Add the combined sugar and konnyaku powder into the pot. Stir to disperse the sugar and jelly powder. Turn on the flame to a low heat and continue to stir the jelly until the sugar dissolves. Increase the flame to medium heat and let the jelly solution cook to a rolling boil point. Turn off the heat.

Assembling the jelly

1. Arrange a layer of pineapples in a circular row at the bottom of the mold. Scoop the jelly solution with a ladle and gently pour it onto the arranged fruit. Fill the mold until the fruits are almost two-thirds submerged in the first layer of jelly. The reason for not submerging the fruits completely is to make sure they are able to connect to the next layer of jelly. If there is nothing to connect the layers, the layers will separate as you remove the jelly from the mold and when you cut it.
2. Let the jelly set (test by touching it lightly, if it is firm to the touch, it is ready) and arrange another layer of the fruit cubes. The hot liquid will only set as it cools down, and if you want the jelly set quicker, place the mold in a larger baking dish or bowl of cold water.
3. Add some yellow food color into the remaining jelly solution in the pot. Fill the mold until the second layer of pineapples submerge halfway. Let the jelly set. Using a ladle to spoon the jelly gently into the tin helps avoid causing a hole in the jelly layer underneath.
4. Once the jelly is set, arrange the lychee fruits onto the jelly.
5. Spoon all the remaining jelly solution into the tin. The lychees should be completely covered in jelly.
6. Let the jelly chill and set. Use a jam knife or a plastic spatula to gently loosen the sides without poking the knife in too much or cutting the sides of the jelly. Turn it out onto a serving plate, shaking or tapping the tin lightly to allow the jelly to loosen out. If the jelly is still stuck to the tin, insert a few toothpicks (2 or 3) between the jelly and the mold to create air pockets. Turn the mold over to release the jelly. Garnish with rosemary leaves or the remaining fruits if you wish.

🍽️Serving & storage

• This jelly is best served chilled.
• It can last for a good 2 to 3 days, however, it must be kept chilled in the fridge. Keep it in a covered container to prevent it from drying out in the fridge.
• Sometimes, you will notice excess liquid in the jelly container after a day or two. This is normal, the jelly tends to release some liquid as you keep it longer. Having said that, the jelly is still as good to eat, and can be safely consumed.

💡Expert tips

• When making jellies, it is always a good idea to prepare the molds first as the jelly will set as it cools down and must be poured into molds immediately after cooking.
• Mixing the jelly powder with sugar before adding into the water helps avoid the jelly powder from becoming clumpy in the water. Mixing with sugar helps to disperse the powder and there will not be any clumps.
• When cooking the jelly, it is important that the jelly powder is fully dissolved. Otherwise the jelly will not set well. To ensure the jelly powder is completely dissolved, cook the jelly solution until it reaches a rolling boil point.
• If you find the jelly stuck to the mold, try inserting a few toothpicks between the jelly and the mold to create air pockets before turning the jelly over (see how I did it with this fruit jelly cake). The jelly should release easily from the mold.
• Konnyaku jelly or Japanese jelly is of a chewy texture as compared to normal agar-agar jelly. Because of this, is it harder to cut and chew. Hence, when serving children and old people (who are unable to chew the jelly well), it is advisable to cut the jelly into small pieces to avoid the risk of them swallowing it in large pieces.
• It is also advisable to cut the lychees into smaller segments.

💭FAQs