Koi Fish Jelly 年年有余 ~ CNY 2011

Chinese New Year is all about auspicious symbols, especially when it comes to food you eat and the gifts you present to friends and family. After making so many types of cookies like Pineapple Tarts, Almond Cookies, Butter Cookies, Cornflake Cookies..... I also made Koi fish from agar agar powder.

Koi fish symbolize surpluses ~ ~"年年有余“ (nian nian you yu) means having more enough for the coming year.

Koi fishes appear to be extremely lively and their cheerful posture along with their slanting tail brings in bundles of money and good luck.

Ingredients:
650ml Water

100g Sugar

8g Agar agar powder

2 Pandan leaves

2 Fish molds (bought from Sunlik)

12 Black currants or raisins

Using scissors to cut black currants into half and roll into tiny nibs with your finger tips as fish eyes. Tie pandan leaves into a small knot.
Boil water, sugar, agar agar powder and pandan leaves together, keep stirring water until boil at medium heat. Off heat and stir agar agar liquid for another 2-3 minutes. Discard pandan leaves.
Put agar agar liquid under double boiler or at low heat to prevent agar agar liquid set quickly. ~ stir occasionally.
Using a tweezers and dip black currant into agar agar liquid then place black currant on the fish mold eyes. It will sticks quickly.

Take 2 tsp of agar agar liquid into a sauce plate and add a drop of coloring into it (any color you prefer) and mix well. (I used 3 colors ~ red, orange and green)
Using the back of the teaspoon，smear the colored liquid quickly on fish mold body ~ mix any color you like. (if the colored liquid has set, add a little hot agar agar liquid to dilute it),
After the colored liquid set on the fish mold, gently pour in plain agar agar liquid (cool down a little if liquid is too hot).
Chill agar agar Koi fish in fridge for at least 2-3 hours or overnight before removing from the fish mold.