Hello guys, this is Amanda
Today I'm gonna show you how to make a simple and traditional dessert
apricot kernel jelly
But before that, I need to explain
what apricot kernel actually is.
I supposed you guys some what heard of sweet apricot kernel, bitter apricot kernel
southern apricot kernel and northern apricot kernel.
Isn't is a bit confusing?
This one here is called big-apricot kernel（Scientific name: prunus dulcis）
It is usually known as American / California apricot kernel in Chinese
However, it's scientific name is prunus dulcis (almond)
A few years ago, people tried to rectify the translation of prunus dulcis
the reason for that was
calling prunus dulcis apricot kernel
would cause confusion,
making everyone unable to tell which is what
So now we just call these almonds
They look like this
If you see almond powder or almond slices
in baking recipe
they usually refer to prunus dulcis
Let's say, for macaron,
we usually need almond powder
then it means the powder grinded from prunus dulcis
instead of apricot kernel
It is called almond in English
If you guys are still confused
I suggest to google the image of apricot and the fruit of almond
From this image you can clearly tell
the fruit of almond looks just like a peach
But southern/ northern apricot kernel are from apricot, not from a peach
they are also known as sweet/ bitter apricot kernel
like these here
sweet apricot kernel is sweet, bitter apricot kernel is bitter
sorry, I was talking rubbish
but guys, you need to know the difference between these two
they look identical, however
the bitter apricot kernel is rarely seen in the market
probably only sold in a Chinese herbal pharmacy
sweet apricot kernel is usually bigger in size
they are commonly used in food recipe
one thing in mind, bitter apricot kernel is slightly poisonous
since it contains cyanide
The poison is not as strong as you think it would be
no need to freak out
if you wanna use them to suicide like some concubine in Empresses in the Palace
it would probably take 10 kilograms to kill yourself
there's no problem having a little bit of it
This bitter apricot kernel tastes beautiful
Both southern apricot kernel and northern apricot kernel
have a major difference with almond in taste
If you ever watched Case Closed, you would notice
when some victims died
there were the smell of apricot kernel from their mouth
and Conan would say they died from cyanide
ehhh ah, ahhhhhhhhh
ahhhhh
There's this smell of apricot kernel from his mouth
He must be
poisoned by cyanide !!!
Actually the smell of cyanide
is exactly the same as bitter apricot kernel
If you guys had apricot kernel or related product
you would know the smell
the smell is mostly from cyanide
Today we are not gonna use almond or bitter apricot kernel
we are using sweet apricot kernel
AKA southern apricot kernel
you can get this in most Chinese supermarket
first step, soak the sweet apricot kernel
for at least 4 hours
also the agar gel on the side needs soaking too
just the same as apricot kernel
after soaking the apricot kernel would look bigger
if the kernel you bought has skin on it, you need to peal them off
if not, simply take them out and
put them in a blender
with 250 ml of water
blending them with high speed
until there's no visible pieces
and look kind of similar to almond milk
now we need to drain it with cooking gauze
you can use two or three layers of cooking gauze
then it might come out smoother
pour some milk into the apricot juice
After hours of soaking this is what agar gel looks like
a bit soft and transparent
you may also use gelatin in stead of agar gel
but personally I prefer the texture of agar gel
it makes the jelly have a better shape when its formed
and there's a bit of cracking texture to it
what does the cracking texture mean?
I'll explain it later in the video
For gelatin, it would come out with a softer texture
it's up to you choose which to use
put soaked agar gel in the pot
add some crystal sugar
starts with low heat
since agar gel isn't very easy to dissolve
you need to keep stirring it with a rubber spatula
If it's still very slow, a whisk may get you extra help
until the apricot kernel juice is boiling
and no big chunks of agar gel is seen
Nonetheless，we still need to drain it
because agar gel cannot be fully dissolved
when it's drained into this measuring cup
I would drain it again
to get rid of the air bubbles
note that the filter is right on top of the mold, slowly pour it in
you can use any shapes of mold
the one I use is actually a tamakoyaki pan
I'm using this since it's square
put it in the fridge
it doesn't take long for agar gel to form
it would be finished within an hour
when demolding the jelly, slightly press the jelly from the edge of the mold
flip it over and you'll get a perfect demolding
slicing it into smaller pieces
Last step, garnish with some sugar osmanthus
I think it would taste better when it's sweeter
so I would prefer a bit of sugar osmanthus as garnish
Here's the final product
isn't it simple?
the whole process is only blending and freezing
if you make your own apricot kernel juice, it would have a very strong apricot kernel flavour
with milk, it would balance the flavour of apricot kernel
also with the texture of agar gel
it makes a refreshing dessert for hot summer days
the process isn't complicate either
agar gel would still be solid in room temperature
but I think it taste way better right out of the fridge
Ok. As I mentioned before
I like the cracking texture of agar gel
let me show you this way
jelly formed from agar gel
even though it looks a bit hard on the appearance
when you scoop it down down, it would just crack
just like a piece of cracking ice
it's like the whole thing would crack in your mouth, not the gooey kind of texture
I think this texture is great for summer
it gives me a refreshing feeling
I hope you guys would like it too
Hello audience from YouTube
If there's any dishes you want me to make
please let me know in the comment section down below
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See you next week, bye-bye