A new take on Agar Agar

SINGAPORE — Mention agar agar, and you would probably think of the traditional jelly version that your grandmas and aunties used to prepare when you would visit them during Chinese New Year. This gelatinous dessert is now a lot more hip — it’s no longer simply shaped like a mahjong tile or a koi fish. Instead, you see agar agar used creatively — in designs of sushi or a bowl of ramen to being shaped in more endearing and cutesy creations such as Rilakkuma and Pororo.

Teaching assistant Jane Ng has been constructing these agar agar cakes and winning over a new generation of fans. The 45-year-old, who has been running Agar Agar Jelly Cakes Wonderland for the last three years, said she learnt how to make agar agar cakes from her friends in Malaysia. “A lot of stores in Malaysia sell agar agar cakes so I wanted to learn how to make them too,” she added. Ng is not a fan of fondant and prefers the simplicity of working with agar agar. For those who don’t know, agar agar is derived from seaweed, that is freezed dried, dehydrated and processed into powder form. Once the powder is dissolved in water, the mixture can set at room temperature to become a jello of sorts.

Ng uses different moulds to create her agar agar cakes. What she finds harder to nail down is getting the colours of the characters right. Another key consideration is getting the right consistency and texture as the agar agar cakes can’t be too wobbly and soft, lest the characters topple and flop over.

Besides characters, Ng also comes up with quirky creations such as a bowl of noodles or a bikini made out of agar agar. And yes, she also does traditional designs such as mahjong tiles, gold ingots and longevity peaches if your older relatives would like them. And while she gets a healthy five to 10 requests a week, she still holds down a full-time career and prefers to handle what she can to do a good job.

What she enjoys most about making these cakes which are priced from S$58, is the joy they bring to those who consume them. “Parents have been asking me to bring the cakes to their children’s school for them to enjoy,” Ng said. “I feel very proud and happy when customers tell me they like the cakes. It motivates me to make more!”

Find Jane Ng at: www.facebook.com/JellycakesWL/.