5.16.2011

Recipe: Ai Yu Bing - Taiwanese Dessert Drink!

Good Monday, friends! As you probably experienced, Blogger was mostly down on Friday, going around eating posts and comments alike. So, you get my intended Friday post today!

We're talking about food today, specifically making it. I have 1 recipe for you for a delicious summer drink/snack. I learned this one from my mom, and it's so ridiculously simple that even I can't screw it up.

Ai Yu Bing

Photo credit/ JUN on Flickr
Ai Yu is a clear-ish jelly made from a variety of fig found in Taiwan. I've only ever seen it as jelly, so I had to go to Wikipedia for this tidbit. Anyway, it's common in Taiwan (and Singapore too apparently). You can go to any night market and there will undoubtedly be a stand selling the Ai Yu drink, which I'm going to teach you how to make now.

This is basically the Taiwanese equivalent of lemonade for those hot summer days.

Ingredients

1 can of Ai Yu (preferably made in Taiwan)
1 lemon or lime
1-2 cups of water
Ice cubes
Honey / Some kind of sweetener (sugar, agave nectar)

Optional substitute for sweetener: 1 can of 7-Up / Sprite / Canada Dry
Optional ingredient: 1 can of almond jelly

Directions


1. You can get cans of Ai Yu (and almond jelly) at most reasonably stocked Asian supermarkets. When you open the can, the jelly will be one big slab (column?) of jelly.

Photo credit: Protocol Snow

2. My mom usually makes enough for 4-5 people, so that's like a regular pot-sized amount of this. I think she uses an entire can of jelly. If you're just making one bowl of it, use half the can-slab.

Cut the jelly into smaller pieces (whatever size you like for eating/drinking).

Do the same for the almond jelly if you're using that too.

3. Add as much water as you want. This depends on how much you want to drink/eat and how many people you're serving.

4. Squeeze lemon juice into the mix. Again, this is to your taste. If you like more lemony flavor, use the entire lemon. Stir a bit.

5. Add honey/sweetener to taste. Stir it all up.

5a. Instead of using a sweetener, my mom adds a can of 7-Up/Sprite/Canada Dry. The sweetness from the soda works as the sweetener, while also giving you more liquid (you can use less water). It also has the delightful side effect of making the drink bubbly.

(Traditionally, the drink is made without the soda.)

6. Then ice cube up the entire thing like you would lemonade.

Then you get a nice bowl of this:

Photo credit/ Benny2006 on Flickr

Enjoy! See you all Wednesday!

12 comments:

XiXi said...

YUM. I'm legit going to make this ASAP. Aka when my mom comes home with a car, haha. This kind of reminds me of grass jelly drink? Idk, apparently, I like weirdly flavored jellies.

Thanks for the recipe!

Ariana Ferrone said...

This sounds soooo good! Next time I drop by my Chinese grocery store I'm going to look for some jelly.

Tere Kirkland said...

I always see cans of Ai Yu st the market but never knew what to do with them. Thanks, Krispy!

I do like grass jelly and other weird fruit jellies, too, so this sounds really hood.

Connie Keller said...

Oooo, a recipe. Thanks. I can't wait to try it!

Lydia Kang said...

Wait, wait. Is that the grass jelly drink you can get in a can? My hubs adores that stuff. I like it too but we don't get it very often.

Tere Kirkland said...

I mean it sounds "good", lol.

No wait, I meant "hood." I'm starting a new slang. I totally think "that's so hood" is going to happen.

;)

Sophia Chang said...

Um...can I come over when she makes this? :P

(I'm in the hood this week so I'll be bringing a hard drive whenever you're available lol)

Krispy said...

Ariana - Yay! I hope you like it!

Connie - Thanks for suggesting recipes for blog posts! I hope you like it!

Tere- I figured you meant "good," but "hood" could work too? Haha.

Angela said...

Interesting. I've never tried anything like that before. I wonder what the jello bits taste like.

Paul Greci said...

This looks like an interesting and fun drink to make for friends. Thanks!!

Elana Johnson said...

Wow, that looks... delicious. I think. ;)

Anonymous said...

As a kid, I've had this drink at so many Asian community events and during my visits to Taiwan! This is the perfect drink for summer, and I'm excited to make it myself. Thanks for posting =)

Also, I've seen variations in which people add fruit cocktail and/or coconut gel, but the classic is refreshing enough.