Kanten: Japanese Fruit Jelly with Agar-Agar
In Japan, kanten is the name for agar-agar and also for the desserts made with it. This is the simplest: fresh fruit suspended in a clear juice jelly, firm and clean-cutting, served in well-chilled cubes.
This is where the fruits that ruin ordinary gelatin go in. Fresh kiwi, pineapple and papaya contain enzymes that break down animal gelatin and stop it from setting. They do nothing to agar, which comes from seaweed. It also sets at room temperature in half an hour and holds without melting, so it works on a summer table.
🔎 What is agar-agar? — where it comes from, what goes in it and how it differs.
Ingredients
- 500 ml water
- 4 g agar-agar powder (2 level teaspoons)
- 250 ml white grape juice or apple juice
- 70 g sugar
- Juice of ½ lemon
- 300 g fresh fruit in pieces (kiwi, pineapple, mandarin segments, strawberries, grapes)
Method
- 1
Rinse a 20 cm square pan, or a loaf pan, with cold water and let it drain: that way the kanten comes out more easily later.
- 2
In a saucepan, whisk the cold water with the agar-agar until there are no lumps. Bring to a boil and let it simmer gently for 2 minutes, stirring.
- 3
Add the sugar and the juice and heat again until almost boiling. The cold juice lowers the temperature, and the agar mustn't start setting in the pan.
- 4
Turn off the heat and add the lemon juice. The acid goes in last because boiling it with the agar weakens the set.
- 5
Pour a thin 1 cm layer into the pan and wait 5 minutes for it to set. Arrange the fruit on top and cover with the rest of the liquid. That way the fruit stays in the middle instead of all floating to the top.
- 6
Let it set at room temperature for 30 minutes, then another 30 minutes in the fridge.
- 7
Turn out and cut into cubes with a wet knife. Serve well chilled.