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Home / Courses / Dessert / Valentine Agar-agar

Valentine Agar-agar

Dessert, Southeast Asian, Valentine's Day

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There has been a major holiday and celebration every month since November. It was all fun and good but after three months of cookies and dessert, it is time to tone down on the sweets a little. Yet, it is hard not to make something heart-shape and pretty for Valentine’s Day. I decided on a quick and easy dessert that is not overly sweet or rich.

Agar-agar is a gelatinous substance derived from red algae. It is a natural vegetarian gelatin that is white and semi-translucent. Widely used in Asia as an ingredient in desserts, agar-agar can be purchased in dried strips or powdered form. It is virtually tasteless and all kinds of flavoring can be added to it.


In Malaysia, agar-agar is very popular and many a gathering will have some form of dessert made with this ingredient. It is also a favorite at school parties as kids love agar-agar. This dessert is chilled and served cold, perfect for the hot and humid climate there.

Agar-agar can be a fun dessert to make as it can be molded to any desired shape. This time though, instead of molding it, I used colors for contrast. A colored layer was prepared and heart shapes cut out. Then a second clear layer was poured over the carefully arranged hearts to encase them in this Valentine Agar-agar creation.

[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:48]

You can also use a round cookie cutter to cut out round pieces instead of squares. These are really pretty but they should preferably be served on the same day they are made. Unfortunately, I found the red hearts bleeding into the clear section the next day. “Bleeding hearts”! πŸ˜‰ . The taste however, is unaffected.


For more agar-agar recipes, do check out the related posts below or the pictorial Holiday and Cuisine Galleries in the drop-down menus at the header above.


HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY! 😎


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February 13, 2012 Β· 41 Comments



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Comments

  1. The Mom Chef ~ Taking on Magazines One Recipe at a Time says

    February 13, 2012 at 12:55 pm

    Those are so incredibly beautiful. I’ve never seen agar agar around here but I’ll have to keep an eye out for it. I’d love to be able to make something like this for Dudette. I love it!

    Reply
  2. PolaM says

    February 13, 2012 at 1:03 pm

    I love this cute candies! they look super delicious!

    Reply
  3. tigerfish says

    February 13, 2012 at 3:38 pm

    I like the faintly hued red heart in the agar agar! Very creative.

    Reply
  4. Tina (PinayInTexas) says

    February 13, 2012 at 6:19 pm

    Oh Biren, I’ve never seen agar-agar as beautiful as those! Truly a work of art!
    Happy Valentine’s Day to you & your family! :-*

    Reply
  5. Roxana GreenGirl { A little bit of everything} says

    February 13, 2012 at 7:05 pm

    the squares are so cute and perfect for tomorrow!
    I have never used agar-agar. just didn’t see it at the store.
    Happy valentine’s day to you and your family!

    Reply
  6. Ann@Anncoo Journal says

    February 13, 2012 at 7:08 pm

    These are so pretty and they look a crystal πŸ™‚
    Happy Valentine’s Day to you & all at home β™₯

    Reply
  7. Marsha @ The Harried Cook says

    February 13, 2012 at 8:07 pm

    Wow, Biren! These look absolutely gorgeous… picture perfect, really! I have never worked with agar-agar before, but my mom has and I bet she would love this recipe! Thanks for sharing πŸ™‚

    Reply
  8. Reem | Simply Reem says

    February 13, 2012 at 8:50 pm

    OMG!!!
    I don’t think I have seen any more gorgeous valentine treat than these… Beautiful!!!

    Reply
  9. sisinpacific says

    February 13, 2012 at 11:40 pm

    Is there a standard agar agar to liquid ratio that you can use with any recipe? These look wonderful!

    Reply
    • Biren says

      February 14, 2012 at 7:18 am

      I use one tablespoon of agar-agar powder or half ounce of strips to 2 cups of water. You may use a little more or less for a firmer or softer jelly.

      Reply
  10. Elin says

    February 14, 2012 at 1:44 am

    Biren….Happy Valentine’s Day and have a sweet Valentine’s Day with your loved ones πŸ™‚ your valentine’s agar agar looks yummy and I am sure your loved ones got the message…all your love for them ,they will cherish ! πŸ™‚

    Reply
  11. Gursahiba@ExquisiteNiche says

    February 14, 2012 at 4:38 am

    Very Pretty dessert! Can I use gelatine intead of agar agar!

    Reply
    • Biren says

      February 14, 2012 at 7:11 am

      I think you can use gelatine but you will have to follow the packaging instructions for the ratio of gelatine to water.

      Reply
  12. Nasifriet says

    February 14, 2012 at 4:42 am

    Wow, Biren. These are pretty little gems! I called these ‘labour of love’

    Happy Valentine’s Day to you and your loved ones..

    Reply
    • Biren says

      February 14, 2012 at 7:29 am

      Hi! πŸ™‚ Have not see you for a while. I hope you are doing well. These were fun to make and yes, the boys and hubby loved them. Happy Valentine’s Day to you!

      Reply
  13. Curry and Comfort says

    February 14, 2012 at 9:34 am

    Biren, these look so stunning!! You are such a neat and tidy cook. I would never be able to get such perfect hearts all lined up like that. Beautiful job!! Hope you have a wonderful Valentine’s Day! ~ Ramona

    Reply
  14. kitchen flavours says

    February 14, 2012 at 9:46 am

    Beautiful agar-agar! Looks delightfully yummy!
    Happy Valentine’s Day!

    Reply
  15. DongXing says

    February 14, 2012 at 10:08 am

    Hello Biren,

    I had a good giggle at your “bleeding hearts” description!!!! Bleeding or not, they look gorgeous – I would happily tucked into them. It is definitely a labour of love, my kids would be most impressed if I were to make them. Sadly, it is not going to happen, he he he.

    Reply
    • Biren says

      February 17, 2012 at 6:34 pm

      These are quite easy too make and I know your kids will enjoy it. Get them to do the cutting and the arrangements. πŸ™‚

      Reply
  16. Mari @ Mari's Cakes says

    February 14, 2012 at 12:31 pm

    Beautiful, Biren. Sweet but lite dessert πŸ™‚

    Reply
  17. Angie@Angie's Recipes says

    February 14, 2012 at 1:13 pm

    Very pretty! I hardly do any agar agar dishes as I find them a bit stiff..

    Reply
  18. Juliana says

    February 14, 2012 at 2:17 pm

    Biren, these are so cute, elegant…I don’t even have the words to describe it…
    Love the pictures as always.
    Happy Valentine’s Day and have a great week πŸ™‚

    Reply
  19. Lyndsey@TheTinySkillet says

    February 14, 2012 at 2:41 pm

    Biren, these are beautiful. I like the fuzzy look of the hearts. I couldn’t think of a better word to discribe it. You can tell these were made with TLC! πŸ™‚ Happy Valentine’s Day!

    Reply
  20. Tiffany says

    February 14, 2012 at 3:21 pm

    These are so gorgeous! I love the fainted heart look. Happy Valentine’s day Biren πŸ™‚

    Reply
  21. mjskit says

    February 14, 2012 at 10:06 pm

    You are SO creative! These are absolutely beautiful and I’m sure delicious little jellies. I’ve seen agar agar but have never used it and honestly, didn’t know what to do with it. Now I know. Perfect, simple little sweets for that sweet bite after a meal. What a great Valentine’s Day treat!

    Reply
  22. Nami | Just One Cookbook says

    February 15, 2012 at 2:20 am

    Wow Biren, this is so cool! I see agar agar made by a lot of Malaysians and I’ve been curious about this dessert. It’s like glass object – looks so beautiful that heart is inside the square. Such a beautiful dessert!

    Reply
    • Biren says

      February 17, 2012 at 6:38 pm

      Thanks Nami! Agar-agar is similar to kanten. It is a very simple dessert to prepare.

      Reply
  23. mycookinghut says

    February 15, 2012 at 7:02 am

    Biren, your valentine agar agar looks really pretty!

    Reply
  24. Ruby says

    February 15, 2012 at 8:43 am

    They’re so beautiful! Bleeding hearts indeed – very clevva! πŸ˜‰ I bet with the rose flavour they were a bit like Turkish Delight?

    Reply
    • Biren says

      February 17, 2012 at 6:39 pm

      As a matter of fact, they do remind me of Turkish delights! That stuff is good but a little too sweet.

      Reply
  25. Cheah says

    February 15, 2012 at 10:27 am

    These agar agar looks so tempting. Drooling over your lovely pics!

    Reply
  26. Nasi Lemak Lover says

    February 15, 2012 at 4:49 pm

    This is cute and lovely!

    Reply
  27. Amelia says

    February 15, 2012 at 8:10 pm

    Hi Biren, happy belated valentine day.
    Your agar agar look so cute and pretty. So romantic.
    Have a nice day.

    Reply
  28. 5 Star Foodie says

    February 16, 2012 at 10:26 am

    These are absolutely gorgeous! I hope you had a wonderful Valentine’s day celebration!

    Reply
  29. Reeni says

    February 16, 2012 at 8:14 pm

    These are so cute Biren! Very elegant looking too. Hope you had a great Valentine’s Day!

    Reply
  30. Kitchen Belleicious says

    February 17, 2012 at 6:33 am

    These look so pretty! I love the little hearts in the middle. I am so not good with agar.I have tried before and failed. Might need to try again because they look tooo good!

    Reply
  31. Magic of Spice says

    February 18, 2012 at 5:31 pm

    These are just so beautiful Biren…what a delightful treat for valentines!

    Reply
  32. Beverley says

    January 6, 2013 at 6:07 am

    Biren that is so clever and may just have to make them this year for Valentine’s Day thank you xoxo

    Beverley

    Reply
  33. Angela says

    February 13, 2013 at 6:00 pm

    I’ve never used agar agar before. I’ll have to look for it. Have you ever tried using juice instead of water and sugar? I don’t suppose it would work for the valentine hearts because of the color of the juice.

    Reply
    • Biren says

      February 13, 2013 at 9:06 pm

      The color of the fruit juices may not be deep enough. For a natural coloring, you may try concentrated beet or pomegranate juice.

      Reply
  34. Veronica Ng says

    February 5, 2014 at 5:26 pm

    Wow, such gorgeous design, just perfect for Valentine’s Day. Thanks for sharing the stunning dessert.

    Reply

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My grace is sufficient for thee…
2 Corinthians 12:9

Hi, I’m Linda! I make quick, easy meals, and spin on classics and old favorites with focus on Malaysian, Chinese, and American cuisines. Read more β†’

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