Is like chemistry class all over again

Motivated by all the festivities of CNY around me, I have decided to make a rather popular Chinese dessert - Osmanthus Jelly (Gwai Fa Go). I love this stuff. Is so fragrant and light and is just what we need for CNY since we are always overeating, but you cannot not have any desserts.


(this is what Osmanthus looks like)


(the dried stuff)

Is a very simple dish to make but what was a bit of a challenge was to get the powdered gelatin and liquid ratio right. This Chinese 'jello' is firmer & chewier than your usual western jello (where it giggles more). Since I was never a dessert making person, I am ashamed to say that this was my first time experimenting with powdered gelatin.

I researched online and looked through many sites and gelatin packages to find out what should be the right ratio. I had my electric scale with me, my measuring cups and the whole lot. It felt a lot like high school chemistry class all over again. Being a person with not much common sense and forgetting that this jelly should be firmer in texture, I went with the "usual ratio" (and more liquid), and thus my Osmanthus Jelly turned out to be what you can say, a puddle of goo.

The 2nd trial, I cut half the liquid but used the same amount of gelatin powder and after 3 hrs of refrigeration, my Osmanthus Jelly finally set - with a deep golden color and specs of red from the goji berries, adorned with little petals from the dried Osmanthus. It was just gorgeous. Well, at least to me it was.

Here's the recipe for this lovely dessert:


550ml water
100ml room-temp water
2 packs of gelatin (24g)*
80-100g rock sugar
1T dried osmanthus (or you can use osmanthus sugar - adjust the taste with the rock sugar)
10g goji berries (weighted and soaked in hot water for around 5-10mins)


1. boil 550ml water in a pot with rock sugar. Stir until dissolved.
2. turn to low heat and add in the goji berries & the dried osmanthus. simmer for 3-5mins until fragrant. Turn off heat and set aside.
3. put 100ml room-temp water in a bowl and sprinkle the powdered gelatin on top. let sit for 30secs and slowly whisk together with a fork. Let stand for 3 mins.
4. Slowly ladle some of the osmanthus mixture into the gelatin mixture and stir together. (By tempering the gelatin mixture before pouring it in into the hot mixture prevents clumping).
5. Once the gelatin starts to dissolve, you can pour the gelatin mixture back into the osmantus mixture. Stir until will mixed together.
6. Pour into individual molds or whatever jelly molds you have and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
7. Once set, cut into pieces and enjoy with a cup of good Chinese tea!

*here are some tips on using gelatin
a. 1T of powdered gelatin sets 2 cups of liquid (475ml), firm enough to unmold
b. 1T of powdered gelatin = 4 leaves of gelatin
c. UK brands packaged gelatin usually comes in 11g/pk. This will sent 1 pint liquid (600ml) - though I would suggest you always weight your pkg'd gelatin to make sure.
d. Always add gelatin to water, not the other way around. Sprinkle powdered gelatin into cold water. Mix and let stand for 3-5mins
e. Temper the gelatin mixture with hot liquid before adding the mixture into the hot liquid all at once.
f. NEVER boil gelatin