Coffee Jelly (コーヒーゼリー)
Are you looking for a delicious dessert for hot summer days? If you are still wondering and do not know which to choose, let us recommend you coffee jelly, one type of jelly that is very common in Japan. Today, we will introduce about its origin and how Japanese people make and eat it.
What is coffee jelly?
Coffee jelly (コーヒーゼリー) is a dessert dish made from a mixture of gelling agent and coffee and then cooled in a refrigerator. The most used coffee beans in coffee jelly are dark roasted one. Deep roasted beans with the strong bitterness taste help alleviate the acidity that increases when the jelly cools down. In Japan, you can find this dish at most of convenience stores or supermarkets.
With the richness of milk, the bitterness of coffee, this perfect combination makes this dish so popular all around Japan. Moreover, not only the taste but one charming thing about coffee jelly is its simple recipe so you can make it by yourself at home. Although known as a refreshing dessert for summer, it is alright to enjoy it all year long.
History
The origin of coffee jelly
There are various theories about the origin of coffee jelly. However, the most concrete theory believes that coffee jelly have originated in Japan.
During the Taisho period, in April 3rd, 1914, the recipe of it was said to be published in a newspaper named Yomiuri Shimbun. At the time, this recipe was popular as a home-made dessert. So the question is who was the first to make and sell coffee jelly in restaurants?
It was not until 1963 that this dish first appeared on the menu of a coffee shop called “Mikado Coffee” that was open only in summer in Karuizawa. With a fragnant aroma, rich and faintly bitter taste, it had become a big hit during that hot season as “eating coffee”.
In 1970, it became more common for every Japanese people and appeared in supermarkets. Up until nowadays, it is still one of the most popular Japanese dessert during hot summer days thanks to the refreshing taste.
Do people in other countries eat coffee jelly?
Although coffee jelly or “eating coffee”, which originated in Japan, is a very familiar dessert here, it is actually not common overseas. Therefore, when some foreigners try this dish for the first time, they are really surprised at how delicious it is.
Health info
In the hot summer, coffee jelly with a cold and smooth texture is very delicious. Many of them contain cream, and the bitterness of the coffee and the sweetness of the cream are exquisite. Such coffee jelly is not only delicious, but you can also expect such a really good effect on your health as coffee jelly is totally find for diet!
Cafein burns fat
The ingredient contained in coffee is caffeine, but this caffeine has the function of burning fat, and it tries to burn fat by activating cells. Caffeine has a stimulating effect, so it is often used when you want to wake up from drowsiness or refresh your mood.
So with this dish, you can refresh yourself as well as burn fat to get closer to a beautiful body.
Protein
Gelatin is important ingredient in coffee jelly. Since gelatin is originally obtained from the bones and skins of cows and pigs, it is mostly made of protein.
When you are on a diet, it is recommended to eat a lot of protein to build muscle. Therefore, imagine eating delicious coffee jelly while being able to take in protein that is good for your diet.
How to make coffee jelly at home?
With the balance of the sweet and bitter taste, coffee jelly is really an amazing dessert that is worth trying at home. Its ingredients are also simple so do not worry and follow our steps!
Ingredients
| Ingredients (for 2 people) | |
| Instant coffee | 2 tbsp |
| Sugar (or syrup) | 3 tbsp |
| Gelatin | 10g |
| Water | approriate amount |
| Topping | |
| Milk, fresh cream, coffee fresh, etc |
How to make the delicious jelly?
How to make coffee jelly?
- First, soak the gelatin in a bowl with 2 tablespoons of water. If you add a large amount of gelatin together at the same time, the water may spread over and it may not soak well. So just sprinkle the gelatin little by little into the water.
- Put the water in a pot. When it boils, turn off the heat and add coffee, sugar and softened gelatin. The key to make beautiful shape coffee jelly is to stir slowly so as not to create any bubbles.
- After the mixture cools down, put it in the refrigerator for about 3 hours to solidify the coffee jelly.
When the coffee jelly hardens, you can enjoy eat with some toppings such as fresh cream or ice cream.
There are so many more dishes to do with coffee jelly so do not miss our next part!
Some coffee jelly recipes
With just these simple steps, you can easily make yourself these mouthwatering jelly at home. Therefore, in this part, we would like to introduce some recipe ideas for your coffee jelly. Let’s go!
Eat with coffee fresh
If you don’t like the bitterness of coffee, try pouring coffee fresh over the coffee jelly and enjoy the mild taste. If you want to add sweetness, we recommend adding condensed milk as well!
Add whipped cream or ice cream
One way to make the coffee jelly look more delicious is to top it with whipped cream or ice cream. You can also add some more fruits or toppings that you like.
Eat with cereal
With this recipe, you can eat it as a dessert or as a breakfast also. Just add coffee jelly to the mixture of cereal and milk and enjoy the softness and refreshing taste of the coffee jelly.
Tiramisu-style coffee jelly with mascarpone flavor
For those who want to enjoy a little rich coffee jelly, try using mascarpone cheese. Add mascarpone cheese mixed with granulated sugar and whipped to create a smooth tiramisu-style coffee jelly.
Japanese style parfait
You can also make yourself a Japanese-style partfait made with coffee jelly, boiled azuki beans, shiratama dumplings and vanilla ice cream. After making the coffee jelly, you can find other ingredients at any supermarkets or convienience stores.
Restaurants
Cafe Gel Lab (カフェ・ゲル・ラボ)
A coffee shop with really amazing coffee as well as desserts. The menu is devided into standard, special, premium and decaffeinated categories so that customers can easily their favourite drinks. Coffee jelly is lined up in the showcase in the store. One special thing here is that they are trying new way of turning coffee jelly into a drink! Do not miss this amazing chance and visit the store. You can find detailed information as below.
Cafe Bach (カフェ・バッハ)
Cafe Bach is said to be one of Tokyo’s top four coffee lovers, and is one of the most famous shops among coffee lovers. High-quality coffee beans are carefully selected and roasted with an original roaster to create a superb cup of coffee.
At Cafe Bach, you can eat “Coffee Jelly and Blancmange” on the summer menu from July to September. It is made with Cafebach’s special blended coffee: coffee jelly and blancmange. It has two layers, which has the perfect balance between the flavor of coffee and the mellowness of milk.
This dish is really impressive with the bitterness of coffee, mildness of milk and richness of anglaise sauce.
Café Fason (カフェ・ファソン)
Café Fason is a popular hideaway cafe with a calm atmosphere that is easy for women to visit alone, located in a back alley in Nakameguro, Tokyo. There are many types of coffee, and the drip method like paper or flannel drip. We would like to recommend you the new sensation coffee jelly called “Magic Coffee Jelly”, which is also a signboard menu.
“Magic coffee jelly” is a cup with red bean paste on top of matcha and vanilla ice cream. The coffee is then poured into the cup and that is how they make coffee jelly.
Tajimaya Coffee Shop (但馬屋珈琲店)
Tajimaya Coffee Shop, which has its main store in Shinjuku, Tokyo, has a history of 50 years and is a long-established coffee shop with an attractive Showa retro atmosphere. It features deep roasted coffee that is carefully roasted.
The homemade coffee jelly made with carefully selected coffee, which has been available since the shop opened, is a popular dish of this coffee shop. In addition, the “Coffee Zenzai” using coffee jelly is also recommended. “Coffee zenzai” is a dish using combination of brown sugar syrup, soybean flour, red bean paste and cream. The mixture of bitterness and sweetness, Japanese and Western harmony is definitely one of the most must-try dessert ever!
Takeaway
Coffee jelly has been popular in Japan for a really long time. With the amazing combination of bitter-sweet taste, you can also use it as toppings for your desserts such as tiramisu. The ingredients and recipes are simple so do not worry and try yourself at home following our steps! Do not miss coffee jelly for this hot summer season!
Looking for other delicious desserts of Japan? Click here for more information!
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