Beating the heat with a bowl of ai yu jelly and fruit cocktail #Cookforfamily

Seeds.

Say what?

And thankfully before I buried them into soil,

I got a call to tell me about the seeds.

These were 愛玉 (aiyu) seeds!

Now if you've been to taiwan, or been to a bubble tea shop, you would've seen or heard of the existence of this jelly.

It's like konnyaku.

But.

Not quite.

It's softer than a konnyaku and firmer than jello.

And just a little bit about aiyu seeds.

Most that are produced in Kaoshiung are collected from wild plants which are actually a species of figs.

The harvest season runs from from September to February. 

After harvest, fruits are peeled, cut and sun-dried for 2 days.

The seeds are then pulled out from dried fruits afterwards.

The seeds can be consumed after another week of drying out in the sun.

And here at home, we're no stranger to the ice jelly dessert!

文头雪 (wen tou xue or wan tao long) 

To make Aiyu jelly,

Wrap the seeds in a piece of cheese cloth, immerse it in water and rub it using your hands.

You'll begin to see thick liquid released into water. After solidification, jelly is ready to serve.

Cut them into cubes.

Open up a can of Del Monte Tropical Fruit Mix.

Throw in some ice cubes and water to dilute the sugar syrup.

Squeeze in a lime or two.

And.

Serve CHILLED.

Enjoy. :)