Agar Agar Jelly with Coconut – Laotian Vun

Looking for a delicious and easy dessert recipe? Try this sweet little Agar Agar Jelly known in Laos as Vun. These sweet little South East Asian desserts are filled with coconut and pandan essence, just perfect for a work or kids snack.

Why We Love This Recipe

This Agar Agar Jelly recipe was inspired by our trip through Laos. True, we ate just about every colourful dessert imaginable on our journeys through lots of South East Asian countries, (including this tasty Lao PUMPKIN Coconut Custard). But these agar agar jelly cubes were just about the cutest ever! Not only do they have a delicately sweet, ever-so-slightly salty coconut flavour going on, they’ve also got a cool visual effect too. Made with plant-based agar powder instead of gelatin, the jelly separates into two distinctly gorgeous layers when cooling. 

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How To Make Agar Agar Jelly with Coconut – Laotian Vun

• Start by pouring half your coconut milk into a small mixing bowl. Crack in the egg and give it a really good whisk to incorporate.
• Meanwhile heat the water in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the agar agar powder and give it a swirl to mix through. Slowly pour in your coconut milk and egg mixture and stir. Gently bring to the boil and keep stirring. Then slowly add your remaining coconut milk.
• Next, pour in the sugar, salt and pandan essence (optional). Taste the mixture, but be careful not to burn your tongue! If it’s not sweet enough, you can add more sugar, or an extra sprinkle of salt or pandan essence til you’re happy with the flavour.
• Cook and stir for a few more minutes, then remove from the heat.
• Pour the mixture out into large glass dishes (or jelly moulds, if using). Skim any bubbles off the surface so your jelly will set nice and smooth. Allow the jelly cool on your kitchen bench for an hour or so (and be sure to check out those layers!).
• Once set, cut the jelly into shapes and serve.

FAQs

So why agar? And what the heck is it anyway? 

• Agar (sometimes known as agar agar) is extracted from a South East Asian seaweed. It’s the perfect substitute for gelatin, especially for those with vegetarian or vegan diets.
• Agar agar jelly sets more firmly than jelly made with gelatin, and will even set at room temperature – although it should still be stored in the fridge.
• Agar is naturally packed with fibre, yet surprisingly has zero carbs, calories, sugar or fat (talk about guilt free!)

Also we just want to quickly point out – our Coconut Agar Agar Jelly turned bright green because, unbeknownst to us, our agar agar powder was blended with green food colouring! Otherwise, it’s normally clear/uncoloured. 

My agar jelly didn’t set. Why?

There could be a couple of reasons why your jelly doesn’t set:

• Your agar flakes or power hadn’t completely dissolved. Make sure it’s melted down completely before adding in the coconut and egg mixture.
• You used citrus-based flavourings. These can interfere with the jelly from setting, so it’s best to avoid flavourings or juices such as lemon, lime or pineapple. 

Agar Agar Jelly Tips

• If using agar agar flakes instead of powder, use the conversion ratio of 1 tsp powder to 1 Tbsp flakes.
• You can store your jelly in the fridge for up to a week.

Variations & Substitutes

Feel like giving your Coconut Agar Agar Jelly a personal touch? Here are a few ideas to get you experimenting! 

• Up the intensity by adding more sugar or salt for extra deliciousness
• Tweak the flavour with a few drops of flavour essence such as rose water, coffee and/or milk, or food dyes for quirky colours. Also if you don’t have pandan essence on hand, you can substitute with regular vanilla essence. 
• Get creative – use cookie cutters or silicone jelly moulds for quirky shapes like stars and flowers
• If you prefer, you can use gelatin instead of agar – just use the same amount. Remember, you’ll need to set the jelly in the refrigerator as it won’t set at room temperature with gelatin. 
• Enjoy this jelly on its own, or serve with fresh fruit, canned fruit or fruit pulp for extra deliciousness.

So have you ever made agar jelly before, or do you prefer using gelatin? What’s your favourite way to make jelly?

Agar Agar Jelly with Coconut - Laotian Vun

Looking for a delicious and easy dessert recipe? Try this sweet little Agar Agar Jelly known in Laos as Vun. These sweet little South East Asian desserts are filled with coconut and pandan flavour, just perfect for a work or kids snack.

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Prep Time: 2 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 12 minutes

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Lao

Servings: 20 pieces

Calories: 101kcal

Author: Wandercooks

Cost: $5

Equipment

• 20 x 20cm baking dish (or similar)

Ingredients

• 400 ml coconut cream in 200x200g portions
• 4.5 cups water
• 14 g agar agar powder
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pandan essence optional

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

• Start by pouring half your coconut milk into a small mixing bowl. Crack in the egg and give it a really good whisk to incorporate.
• Meanwhile heat the water in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the agar agar powder and give it a swirl to mix through. Slowly pour in your coconut milk and egg mixture and stir. Gently bring to the boil and keep stirring. Then slowly add your remaining coconut milk.
• Next, pour in the sugar, salt and pandan essence (optional). Taste the mixture, but be careful not to burn your tongue! If it's not sweet enough, you can add more sugar, or an extra sprinkle of salt or pandan essence til you're happy with the flavour.
• Cook and stir for a few more minutes, then remove from the heat.
• Pour the mixture out into large glass dishes (or jelly moulds, if using). Skim any bubbles off the surface so your jelly will set nice and smooth. Allow the jelly cool on your kitchen bench for an hour or so (and be sure to check out those layers!).
• Once set, cut the jelly into shapes and serve.

Notes

FAQs

• So why agar? And what the heck is it anyway? Agar (sometimes known as agar agar) is extracted from a South East Asian seaweed. It’s the perfect substitute for gelatin, especially for those with vegetarian or vegan diets. Agar agar jelly sets more firmly than jelly made with gelatin, and will even set at room temperature – although it should still be stored in the fridge. Agar is naturally packed with fibre, yet surprisingly has zero carbs, calories, sugar or fat (talk about guilt free!)
• My agar jelly didn’t set. Why? There could be a couple of reasons why your jelly doesn’t set. Perhaps your agar flakes or power hadn’t completely dissolved. Make sure it’s melted down completely before adding in the coconut and egg mixture. OR maybe you used citrus-based flavourings. These can interfere with the jelly from setting, so it’s best to avoid flavourings or juices such as lemon, lime or pineapple.

 

Agar Agar Jelly Tips

• If using agar agar flakes instead of powder, use the conversion ratio of 1 tsp powder to 1 Tbsp flakes.
• You can store your jelly in the fridge for up to a week.

 

Variations & Substitutes

Feel like giving your Coconut Agar Agar Jelly a personal touch? Here are a few ideas to get you experimenting!

• Up the intensity by adding more sugar or salt for extra deliciousness
• Tweak the flavour with a few drops of flavour essence such as rose water, coffee and/or milk, or food dyes for quirky colours. Also if you don't have pandan essence on hand, you can substitute with regular vanilla essence. 
• Get creative - use cookie cutters or silicone jelly moulds for quirky shapes like stars and flowers
• If you prefer, you can use gelatin instead of agar - just use the same amount. Remember, you'll need to set the jelly in the refrigerator as it won't set at room temperature with gelatin.
• Enjoy this jelly on its own, or serve with fresh fruit, canned fruit or fruit pulp for extra deliciousness.

Nutrition

Calories: 101kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 8mg | Sodium: 66mg | Potassium: 76mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 0.2% | Vitamin C: 0.7% | Calcium: 0.9% | Iron: 3.6%

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