jelly cocktail

There is a dessert stall at the Bedok Interchange hawker centre that I have been patronising since 1985. I was in Secondary 1 (Grade 7) at that time and my school was (at that time) diagonally opposite the bus interchange.

One of the star items at this dessert stall is their jelly cocktail. The stallholder would add loquat to the jelly cocktail, something that I have so far not found in jelly cocktails sold elsewhere.

To date, this dessert stall is still in operation.

The beauty of jelly cocktail is that it is really up to personal preference as to what fruits to include in the cocktail.

For the jelly, I used instant agar-agar powder. It is fast and easy.

INGREDIENTS

1 packet of instant agar-agar powder

1 tsp orange konnyaku colouring

1 can mixed fruit cocktail

1 can sliced peaches

1 can lychees

1 can longan

several green limes (to taste)

METHOD

1. Make the agar-agar according to the instructions on the packet. Add 1 tsp of orange konnyaku colouring as the agar-agar is being cooked. Pour the cooked agar-agar into a 9" x 9" sq are cake pan. Leave to cool, then refrigerate until firm.

2. When the jelly has firmed, cut the jelly into bite-size pieces and add them to a large container.

3. Add all the canned fruits.

4. Squeeze in lime juice to taste.

5. Place the container in the refrigerator and serve when chilled.