staying cool

Oh Asian drinks, how you sound and look so odd, yet taste so delicious and refreshing. Though it's been an uncharacteristically cool spring in Dallas thus far, there's no hiding the fact that Texas' summer heat is definitely approaching. When I was a kid, my mom used to make grass jelly (leung-fun, literally "cool starch/jelly") desserts and drinks for us in the summertime.

Grass jelly is made from the leaves and stalks of an herb called Mesona chinensis, a member of the mint family. It has a mildly herbal/bitter flavor, almost like an earthy pu-erh tea, with hints of lavender and licorice. You can find it in Asian grocery stores, where it comes as a single gelatin in a can (kind of like canned cranberry sauce). It's usually diced and served with sugar and ice, over shaved ice or ice cream, or in dessert beverages. Grass jelly is traditionally considered to have yin/cooling properties, so I guess mom knew what she was doing.

Soy and Grass Jelly Drink
serves 2

What you need:
-1 can grass jelly, chilled
-soy milk (I like unsweetened)
-2 tbsp sugar (or more to taste)

What you do:
1. Finely dice the grass jelly and scoop into 2 tall glasses (about halfway full).
2. Top off with soy milk.
3. Add sugar and ice and stir.

Incidentally, I found out that this black and white drink is called the "Michael Jackson" in Southeast Asia. Oh Asian people.