Lychee Agar Jelly Cubes (Printable Version)

Translucent lychee agar cubes in chilled sparkling yuzu water, finished with mint and citrus for a light summer treat.

# What You Need:

→ Lychee agar jelly

01 - 1 2/3 cups lychee juice (from canned lychees, drained and reserved)
02 - 1 tablespoon agar-agar powder
03 - 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
04 - 8 canned lychees, drained, halved (optional for embedding)

→ Sparkling yuzu water

05 - 2 1/8 cups chilled sparkling water
06 - 1/4 cup yuzu juice (fresh or bottled)
07 - 2 tablespoons simple syrup, or to taste
08 - Ice cubes, as needed

→ Garnish

09 - Fresh mint leaves (optional)
10 - Thin slices of lime or yuzu (optional)

# Steps:

01 - Combine lychee juice, agar-agar powder and granulated sugar in a small saucepan. Whisk until uniformly blended.
02 - Set the pan over medium heat and bring to a gentle boil, stirring constantly. Maintain a simmer for 2 minutes to fully activate the agar.
03 - Pour the hot mixture into a square or rectangular mold. If using, tuck halved lychees evenly into the liquid. Allow to cool slightly, then chill in the refrigerator for 1–2 hours until firm.
04 - Unmold the set gel and cut into approximately 3/4-inch cubes. Arrange several cubes in each serving glass.
05 - In a pitcher, combine chilled sparkling water, yuzu juice and simple syrup. Stir gently to preserve effervescence and adjust sweetness to taste.
06 - Add ice cubes to each glass holding the gel cubes, pour the sparkling yuzu mixture over them, and garnish with mint leaves and thin citrus slices. Serve immediately.

# Expert Pointers:

01 -
  • You can make it ahead and wow guests with almost no effort on the day.
  • The combination of subtle lychee with citrusy yuzu is unexpectedly refreshing—especially in hot weather.
02 -
  • Rushing the agar step will give you unset, slippery cubes—I learned the hard way by serving lychee soup instead of jelly.
  • Tasting the yuzu water before serving changed everything; a splash more syrup made it sparkle rather than pucker.
03 -
  • If you want even clearer jelly, strain the mixture through a fine sieve before molding.
  • Adding a touch of elderflower cordial transforms the aroma—just a tiny splash is enough.
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