Grass jelly (仙草)

Grass jelly is made by boiling the aged and slightly oxidized stalks and leaves of Mesona chinensis[1] (member of the mint family) with potassium carbonate for several hours with a little starch and then cooling the liquid to a jelly-like consistency[2]. This jelly can be cut into cubes or other forms, and then mixed with syrup to produce a drink or dessert thought to have cooling (yin) properties, which makes it typically consumed during hot weather. The jelly itself has a slight bitter taste, a light iodine lavender flavor, and is a translucent black. It can also be mixed with soy milk to produce a milky white liquid with black strands in it.

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grass_jelly

I got a palm size grass jelly from the market stall. Love the fresh ones then those sold in supermarket which are sweeten with sugar. Fresh one & well made ones always had this bitter sweet after taste.

I served mine with some pandan sugar syrup. i perfer mine icy and not so sweet.