Traditional aiyu jelly consists of four ingredients; the fig seeds, water, lemons or limes, and honey. Unfortunately, the legit aiyu fig seeds are not easy to find. I got my fig seeds from VegeUSA, a Taiwan-import-vegetarian/vegan-tofu-health-food company headquartered in Monrovia, California. It cost ~$2.50 USD for the package and comes with one package of seeds.
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| Honey and limes |
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| Ai yu package from Asian specialty store |
The directions to make the jelly are as follows:
1. Place a handful of fig seeds (about 2 tablespoons) in a cheese cloth and then tie the cheese cloth in a way to ensure that the seeds will not fall out. In my case, the seeds already came in a convenient package so I got to skip this step.
2. Place the cheese cloth bag of seeds into a clean bowl filled with about 6 cups of water (distilled water is not okay, use regular tap water!). Slowly start to massage the cheese cloth bag until the fig seeds secrete a water extract (WE), which you can tell by the presence of a gooey clear substance. This process is known as 洗愛玉 which literally translates to washing aiyu.
3. Cool the jelly water in the refrigerator until set. Once set, flavor the gelatin with lemon juice and honey. You can eat as is, or you can cut the jelly in little cubes and serve it with sweetened iced tea.
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| Seeds conveniently packaged in cotton pouch |
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| What the water + ai yu seed WE looks like after the "massaging" |
If you are wondering why the seeds of the creeping fig plant can be used to make jelly, it is because these seeds contain pectin. Pectin is a polysaccharide with very important applications in the food and pharmaceutical industries. The food industry uses pectin as thickening and gelling agents in jams and jellies, as well as in diet foods to replace sugar/fat. The pharmaceutical industry uses pectin to reduce blood cholesterol levels as well as to help you fight constipation by volumizing your poops.
There are two main types of pectins used in cooking: low-methoxyl (LM) pectins and high-methoxyl (HM) pectins. LM and HM pectins are characterized by the percentage of carboxyl groups esterified with methanol. Depending on the pectin, gel formation occurs through divalent (Ca2+) cation crossbridging (low-methoxyl pectins) or through junction zone formations from hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions (high-methoxyl pectins). For happy jelly foodies, the choice to choose one pectin over the other is often based on the amount of sweetness desired in the finished product. HM pectins require a huuuuuge amount of sugar for gelation (the junction zones trap sugar in the pectin network).
Y'all ready for jelly time?
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| After chilling in fridge and flavoring with honey and limes- time to dig in!!! |
IMAGE SOURCE: First image from https://www.flickr.com/photos/65303054@N00/3115821796/ (JUN/LDK)
5 comments
Aiyu is one of my favorite type of jellies; especially the lemon kind. The honey lemon water with ice and the aiyu is perfect.
ReplyDeleteI grew up with this wonderful desert and it was always my first choice of sweet treat, can't find it where I live now except for the cans selling in the Asian market and it is never the same as fresh ones! I hope I can find those seeds to buy and make the jelly myself.
ReplyDeleteI would really appreciate anyone who helps me to get this Aiyu seeds, I line in Colorado state of the USA.
Thanks!
I grew up with this wonderful desert and it was always my first choice of sweet treat, can't find it where I live now except for the cans selling in the Asian market and it is never the same as fresh ones! I hope I can find those seeds to buy and make the jelly myself.
ReplyDeleteI would really appreciate anyone who helps me to get this Aiyu seeds, I line in Colorado state of the USA.
Thanks!
Hi Hannah Rose,
DeleteI bought my seeds from VegeUSA (http://vegeusa.com/). They have a little grocery shop in their headquarters in Monrovia, CA. I know that is quite a ways from Colorado state, but I can't seem to find them anywhere else... not even online!
any idea why my aiyu jelly is still watery, did not solidify, after overnight in fridge
ReplyDelete