Kitchen Recipe Collection
Grass Jelly Drink (Xian Cao Cha)
A cooling, earthy, slightly minty black beverage loaded with soft, slurpable chunks of grass jelly. Extremely popular in hot climates for its refreshing properties.
- Prep
- 5 min
- Cook
- 5 min
- Total
- 10 min
- Servings
- 2
- Difficulty
- easy
- Cuisine
- Chinese
Ingredients
Scaled for 2 servings
- 1 can (19 oz) Grass Jelly (found in Asian supermarkets)
- 2 cups cold water or unsweetened green tea
- 3 tbsp simple syrup or honey (adjust to taste)
- Ice cubes
- Optional: 1 tbsp evaporated milk
Equipment
- Knife
- Tall glasses
Instructions
- 1
Remove Jelly
Open the can of grass jelly. It will slide out as one solid, dark, firm cylinder.
- 2
Cut Jelly
Slice the jelly block into small cubes, or grate it through a large-hole grater to create thin, slurpable strands.
- 3
Prepare Base
In a pitcher, mix the cold water (or green tea) with the simple syrup.
- 4
Assemble
Place a generous scoop (about 1/2 cup) of the chopped grass jelly into the bottom of two tall glasses.
- 5
Add Ice and Liquid
Add ice cubes, then pour the sweetened liquid over the jelly.
- 6
Add Milk (Optional)
For a creamier version, drizzle a tablespoon of evaporated milk over the top.
- 7
Serve
Serve with a wide boba straw so you can slurp up the jelly chunks with the liquid.
Cooking Tips
- Grass jelly has a very mild, slightly bitter, herbal/minty flavor. The sweet syrup is necessary to balance it.
- It is called a 'cooling' food in Chinese medicine, meant to lower your internal body temperature during summer.
Variations
- Soy Milk Grass Jelly: Replace the water/tea entirely with cold, sweetened soy milk.
Nutrition Estimate
90 calories · 0g protein · 22g carbs · 0g fat · 2g fiber per serving
