Brown Sugar and Coconut Jello (Agar-Agar)

Made with simple ingredients and no artificial flavoring or coloring, this dessert is healthy and yet extremely appetizing.  

Out of nowhere today, I started to crave something, but I couldn't put my finger on it.  I thought about if for a while untilI came to the conclusion that jello sounded good.  I've been eating brown sugar and coconut agar-agar ever since I can remember. I think that this dessert originated in either Southeast Asia or the Pacific Islands, but don't quote me on that.  One reason that I love this jello so much is that is is made with agar-agar instead of gelatin.  Gelatin if you didn't know is made from collagen in animal bones, whereas agar-agar is derived from seaweed. 

The texture of this jello is quite different from jello made with gelatin.  It isn't as smooth as jello and doesn't "jiggle" like jello.  Another cool thing about making this brown sugar and coconut agar is that if you let the jello sit for a while without bothering it, two layers will form: a clear layer and a milky layer.  In this recipe you could substitute the brown sugar with regular white granulated sugar.

Brown Sugar and Coconut Jello

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup brown sugar (packed)
6 1/2 cups water
6 teaspoons agar-agar powder
1 cup coconut milk

Directions:

1. In a large pot, combine water, agar-agar powder, and brown sugar.
2. Cook on high heat until it boils, stirring constantly
3. Pour in coconut milk, stir, and let reboil.
4. Remove from heat, and pour jello into a cake pan or desired molds.
5. Let cool for 2 hours, transfer to refrigerator, serve cold