Simple rose syrup agar agar

FINALLY, SOMETHING THAT I ENJOY EATING BUT WON'T MAKE ME FAT!

FACTS ABOUT AGAR-AGAR 

The Nutrients in Agar

Agar is a good source of calcium and iron, and is very high in fiber. It contains no sugar, no fat and no carbohydrates. It is known for its ability to aid in digestion and weight loss. It carries toxic waste out of the body. It is also used in some parts of the world to treat haemorrhoids.

Other benefits associated with agar are its ability to reduce inflammation, calm the liver, and bring relief to the lungs. It is also considered a mild laxative and not recommended for those with weak digestion or loose stools.

Source from : http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/nutrition/healthy-eating/the-nutrition-of-agar.html

I grew up eating agar-agar as my staple breakfast. I still remember the excitement in me as my school bus pulled over my school yard, I jumped off from my school bus and rushed to my school canteen. I headed straight to the Makcik's stall. I eagerly handed my precious 20 cent to her. (My precious 20 cent is the 1/3 of my daily allowance. Every penny spent is crucially important) Makcik will carefully scoped out 2 delicious rose syrup agar-agar from her container, placed it in a plastic bag and handed it to me. I remembered the fragrant of the rose syrup and the sweetness of the agar-agar. Such a simple delicacy, yet it can be so amazing.

To relive my childhood, I decided to try this make this rose syrup agar-agar.

Thanks to Google, I managed to find this agar-agar recipe that uses agar-agar strand cause I was thinking I want to go all out -the traditional style. (http://www.mummyicancook.com/2013/03/naturally-coloured-agar-agar-jelly.html)

I love this recipe as it uses natural colouring from beetroot instead of using food colouring. But, I have to sacrifice the natural colouring for my rose syrup craving.
 

Calories per jelly for 20 moulds - 24.15 approx.
Ingredients

14g agar agar strands 

1 bowl of water (this is used to soak the agar-agar strand)

1/2 cup unrefined cane sugar (adjust to taste) - 387 calories according to https://www.fatsecret.com

2 table spoon of rose syrup - 96 calories

2 pandan leaves , tied into a knot

800ml water

20 Jelly moulds

Method

1. Soaked the 14g of agar-agar strands in a bowl of water at room temperature for 20 minutes. (The key ingredient to smooth agar-agar is the soaking- remember to spend some time on the soaking to make sure the strands are soft like jelly fish)

2. Once the agar-agar is soften, drained the strands and placed it into a pot. Then, add the 800ml water, 2 pandan leaves, 1/2 cup of sugar and 2 table spoon of rose syrup. Turn on the gas and bring it to boil.  Constantly stirred the mixture until the agar-agar strips have completely melted and you see no lumps.

3.Remove the pot from heat and pour the liquid into a jug. If you have a steady hand you can skipped this step and pour the liquid straight into the moulds.

4. I am quite a clumsy person so I used a jug to divide the liquid into the moulds.

5. Then, I refrigerated the moulds until the agar agar is fully set. 

6. I removed the agar-agar from the moulds and I gently placed one of the agar-agar into my mouth.

Bon Appétit