Love all things coffee? This chilled Japanese coffee jelly is a refreshing dessert to enjoy on a hot summer day. Enjoy it plain or with a dollop of fresh whipped cream.
Prep Time7 minutesmins
Cook Time3 minutesmins
Chilling Time5 hourshrs
Total Time5 hourshrs10 minutesmins
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Japanese
Keyword: coffee, easy
Servings: 4(depends on container)
Calories: 67kcal
Author: Namiko Chen
Ingredients
With Instant Coffee Powder
2½cupswater
2tspkanten (agar) powder(4 g per stick packet; see Notes for substitutions; to substitute powdered kanten with gelatin powder or agar agar, test first using a double portion and see if it sets, as each brand of gelatin/kanten/agar sets differently; gelatin won‘t solidify if you heat the mixture too long while kanten requires cooking for 2–3 minutes)
5Tbspsugar
2Tbspinstant coffee
With Freshly Brewed Coffee
2½cupsstrong-brewed coffee
2tspkanten (agar) powder(4 g per stick packet; see Notes for substitutions; to substitute powdered kanten with gelatin powder or agar agar, test first using a double portion and see if it sets, as each brand of gelatin/kanten/agar sets differently; gelatin won‘t solidify if you heat the mixture too long while kanten requires cooking for 2–3 minutes)
In a small saucepan, combine 2½ cups water and 2 tsp kanten (agar) powder and whisk together. Then, bring the mixture to a gentle boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, turn down the heat to a simmer and cook for 2 minutes, continuously whisking the mixture. Tip: You can't see kanten powder at all, but it must be dissolved completely at this stage. If you do not mix well, the mixture will not be solidified.
Remove from the heat and add 5 Tbsp sugar and 2 Tbsp instant coffee. Whisk until the sugar has dissolved.
Remove from the heat and let cool for 5 minutes, if you are going to serve the jelly in glassware.
Pour into serving dishes.
Alternatively, you can use a square baking dish (8 x 8 inches or 20 x 20 cm). Run the baking dish under running tap water so the jelly doesn‘t stick. Shake off the excess water, but do not wipe it dry. Pour the hot mixture into the mold.
Using a long-stemmed utility lighter (candle lighter), burn off the bubbles on the surface of the mixture by quickly touching them with the flame. You could also pop them with a toothpick or scoop them off with a spoon, but those are both time-consuming methods.
Once the coffee jelly cools down, cover it with plastic wrap and keep it in the refrigerator for 4–5 hours.
To Make Coffee Jelly with Strong Brewed Coffee
In a small saucepan, combine 2½ cups strong-brewed coffee and 2 tsp kanten (agar) powder and whisk together. Then, bring the mixture to a gentle boil over medium-high heat.
Once boiling, turn down the heat to a simmer and cook for 2 minutes, continuously whisking the mixture. Tip: You can't see kanten powder at all, but it must be dissolved completely at this stage. If you do not mix well, the mixture will not be solidified.
Remove from the heat and add ⅓ cup sugar. Whisk until the sugar has dissolved.
Run a square or rectangular mold (I used a nagashikan that is 15 x 14 cm or about 6 x 5½ inches) under running tap water so the jelly doesn‘t stick. Shake off the excess water, but do not wipe it dry. Pour the hot mixture into the mold. Tip: If you don‘t have a nagashikan, you could use a baking pan or dish that is 8 x 8 inches (20 x 20 cm). It will create a flatter, single layer of jelly compared to the mold I used. If you are going to serve the jelly in glassware, let cool for 5 minutes then pour the mixture into glass serving dishes.
Using a long-stemmed utility lighter (candle lighter), burn off the bubbles on the surface of the mixture by quickly touching them with the flame. You could also pop them with a toothpick or scoop them off with a spoon, but those are both time-consuming methods.
Once the coffee jelly cools down, cover it with plastic wrap and keep it in the refrigerator for 4–5 hours.
To Serve
If you use the square mold: Take out the mold from the refrigerator. Remove the jelly from the mold. If you used a pan or dish, run a knife along the edges of the pan and quickly invert it onto a cutting board to release the jelly. Cut into ½-inch (1.3-cm) cubes. Transfer the cubed jelly to individual serving dishes. If you use the glass serving dishes: Take out the dishes from the refrigerator.
Serve the jelly with whipped cream, mint, and a coffee bean on top. It‘s not vegan-friendly, but the coffee jelly is great with 1–2 Tbsp of half-and-half or sweetened condensed milk mixture poured on top.
To Store
You can keep the coffee jelly in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
Notes
More about kanten: Kanten needs to be heated to dissolve properly. It sets in about an hour at room temperature (source). The powdered form of kanten is easiest to measure and use; bars and flakes should be soaked in water first.To use a kanten bar: Rinse the bar of kanten carefully and break it into pieces, then soak them in water for 30 minutes. This will help dissolve the kanten faster. Squeeze the water out from the pieces and they are ready to use.To use gelatin or agar powder: 1 stick packet (4 g) of kanten powder = 4 tsp powdered gelatin or agar powder. While agar is a broad term used to translate kanten, agar powder is actually a distinct ingredient from kanten. Please note that kanten, agar powder, and gelatin each produce a slightly different jelly texture.To set 2 cups (500 ml) of liquid, you will need:
kanten powder: 1 stick packet (4 g)
kanten bar: 1 bar (8 g)
kanten threads: 24 threads (8 g)
For this recipe, I added an extra 100 ml of water to achieve a softer texture than standard kanten jelly.