Instructions: Bombayites love the colourful jellies custards yoghurts and cream desserts served in the restaurants set up by Parsees at the beginning of the century. Specialities are jellies with three layers all of different colours studded with shredded fruit and served in a glass thick sweet yoghurt and china grass. China grass is the name given to a dessert made by dissolving agaragar in sweet milk. It is flavoured with spices coloured set and served cold.

manufacture
Agaragar is obtained from various seaweeds also known as japanese or Ceylon moss. It is also called Bengal isinglass but in India most people know it as china grass.

appearance and taste
Agaragar is sold as thin crinkly translucent white strips that are difficult to break have no aroma and a neutral taste. Powdered agaragar is also available.

buying and storing
Agaragar is used for jellies and because of its blandness can be flavoured with any essence. That is why it is a versatile dessert ingredient in the indian pantry. It can be stored for up to a year if kept away from moisture.

culinary uses
Used primarily for making sweets the strips which swell slightly in cold water are immersed in boiling water to dissolve them completely. The resulting transparent liquid is sweetened and flavoured and then left to set in the refrigerator. It is worth experimenting with agaragar to make tiny transparent shapes as garnishes.

agar agar info

A type of gelatine male from seaweed. It does not require refrigeration and produces a firm jelly with an interesting crunchy texture.

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