Chilled cubes of herbal grass jelly served in a lightly sweetened drink, an iconic cooling refreshment across Taiwan's summer.
Taiwanese Grass Jelly Drink is a real, traditional Taiwanese dish, known as Xian Cao. Chilled cubes of herbal grass jelly served in a lightly sweetened drink, an iconic cooling refreshment across Taiwan's summer.\n\nXian cao, or grass jelly, is made by boiling the Platostoma palustre herb and setting the extracted liquid with starch, a preparation with roots in southern Chinese herbal traditions that Taiwan adopted and popularized as a bottled and drink-stand staple.\n\nThe result is a dish worth making on its own merits: it rewards patience with the technique and delivers real, specific flavor rooted in Taiwanese home cooking, not a generic stand-in for a search term.
Serves 2
Cut the prepared grass jelly block into small cubes.
If not using pre-made syrup, dissolve brown sugar in a little hot water and let cool.
Add ice cubes to a tall glass, followed by the grass jelly cubes.
If using, add cooked tapioca pearls to the bottom or alongside the jelly.
Pour cold water into the glass, followed by a generous drizzle of brown sugar syrup.
Stir gently to combine, and serve immediately with a wide straw or spoon to scoop up the jelly.
Buy a pre-made grass jelly block from an Asian grocery store rather than making the herbal extraction from scratch — it's time-consuming and the results are inconsistent for home cooks.
Use brown sugar syrup rather than white sugar; its molasses notes are what give the drink its characteristic flavor.
Cut the jelly cubes small enough to sip through a wide boba straw comfortably.
Add fresh soy milk instead of water for a creamier, more filling version.
Mix in aloe vera cubes for extra texture alongside the grass jelly.
Serve slightly warm in winter, a lesser-known but traditional way to enjoy grass jelly.
Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave with a splash of water or stock to loosen the texture.
Xian cao, or grass jelly, is made by boiling the Platostoma palustre herb and setting the extracted liquid with starch, a preparation with roots in southern Chinese herbal traditions that Taiwan adopted and popularized as a bottled and drink-stand staple.
Asian grocery stores sell canned or fresh-set grass jelly blocks in the refrigerated or canned goods section.
Yes, by boiling dried Platostoma palustre herb and setting the liquid with starch, though it requires sourcing the specific dried herb and several hours of preparation.
It's closely related — the same base jelly is used in both drinks and dessert bowls, just prepared and served differently.
Per serving (350g / 12.3 oz) · 2 servings total
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