Thạch Dừa Sương Sa (Coconut Juice Jelly)

Fresh Coconut Juice is my children's favorite drink of all time. I can use it to coax them into doing anything including their Kumon homework or sweep the floor, even if it's only for a moment. Recently I introduced them to this Thạch Dừa Sương Sa  and they've been hooked; they keep asking me to make it for them almost every week. Coconut Juice Jelly contained pure fresh coconut juice, coconut meat and agar-agar which is a vegetarian gelatin substitute produced from a variety of seaweed vegetation. 

I bought the young coconut three times and had only  been lucky once with finding a fresh coconut.  The other times, either the coconut juice was murky or tasted sour or the meat was purple. I had to take the loss and toss them. The difficulty with this is you don't usually know how long they've been sitting out; there's no freshness or sell by date. Learning from this mistake, I've developed a backup plan; I buy a bag of frozen shredded young coconut and a few cans or bags of coconut juice that I know I can rely on just in case the fresh coconuts aren't fresh after all.. 

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RECIPE: Thạch Dừa Sương Sa

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Ingredients

1 bag Agar-Agar - 25 grams or .88 oz

3 Fresh Young Coconut (make 7 cups of coconut juice)

1/2 cup Sugar
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Prepare Young Coconut

Chop the top of the young coconuts. Measure 7 cups of coconut juice.  If there isn't enough of coconut juice, add water to make 7 cups total.  Scrape the coconut meat with a spoon.  Cut in into strips.  Set them aside.  In case your coconut doesn't have enough meat, get a bag of shredded young coconut meat.

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Making Thạch Dừa Sương Sa

In a pot, combine agar-agar, coconut juice and sugar.  Mix well.  Stir it constantly until boil. 

Pour it into a mold.  Let it cool down for a few minutes.  Scatter coconut strips on top of the jelly.  Let it gel in the fridge. 

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Presentation

Cut the jelly into any shape you prefer and then cool down with this as your snack or dessert. It's simply delicious.

Enjoy!