Skip to main content

Chile-Ginger-Mint水母

Image may contain Jar Food Drink Beer Alcohol and Beverage
Chile-Ginger-Mint水母 Lara Ferroni
  • Active Time

    15 minutes

  • Total Time

    5 1/4 hours (includes resting and chilling)

If suave and hipster-hot is your idea of a dessert, you've just found it. These chile-ginger-mint jellies are an almost academic study in the contrasting sensations of hot and cool. The Chinese consider ginger to be hot—it's the source of heat in hot and sour soup—but Americans tend to view ginger more as a fresh, zinging accent of flavor. Add some fresh chile to the ginger and you introduce a new dimension of complexity that's counterbalanced by the cooling aspect of mint. The result? Your taste buds are rewarded with the dynamic duo of fiery hot and icy cold, all in one bite.

Editor's Note:This recipe is part ofGourmet'sModern Menu for Fiery Fare. Menu also includesSpicy Summer Rolls with Peanut Dipping SauceandSpicy Sweet-and-Sour Grilled Chicken.

Ingredients

Makes 6 servings

3 cups water
1杯鲜姜(ab薄片out 4 ounces; no need to peel)
1/2 cup sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons chopped serrano or jalapeño chiles, including seeds (see Cooks' notes)
1 cup fresh mint leaves
2 1/4 teaspoons unflavored gelatin (almost one 1/4-ounce packet)
1 cup chilled heavy cream
2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

Garnish:

Thinly sliced candied ginger
Mint sprigs
  1. Step 1

    Bring 2 1/2 cups water, ginger, sugar, and chiles to a boil in a 2-quart saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Reduce heat and briskly simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in mint, then remove pan from heat. Cover pan with a lid and let stand for 15 minutes. Strain ginger-mint tea through a fine-mesh sieve into a large liquid measuring cup or bowl.

    Step 2

    Sprinkle gelatin over remaining 1/2 cup water in cleaned saucepan and let stand for 1 minute to soften. Heat mixture over medium heat, stirring, until gelatin is dissolved, then stir mixture into ginger-mint tea until combined well.

    Step 3

    Measure liquid, and if it's less than 2 1/2 cups, add more water. If it's more, don't worry. Let mixture cool for 30 minutes, then divide among six (6- to 8-ounce) serving glasses. Chill jellies in a small baking pan, tops of glasses covered with a sheet of paper towel secured by plastic wrap, until set, at least 4 hours.

    Step 4

    Beat cream with sugar in a bowl with an electric mixer until it just holds soft peaks. Top jellies with cream, candied ginger, and mint sprigs.

Cooks' notes:

•Because the ginger contributes heat in addition to the chile, some members of the staff found the greater amount of chile a tad too spicy. If you're a chilehead, however, go for the full amount, if not more. If you're chile-shy, then use the lesser amount, and know that the cream will temper the heat.
•The sheet of paper towel placed over the glasses absorbs any condensation that might collect on the plastic, thereby preventing any drips back onto the jellies.
•Jellies can be made 3 days ahead and kept chilled.

Sign InorSubscribe
to leave a Rating or Review

How would you rate Chile-Ginger-Mint Jellies?

Leave a Review

  • This dessert was very interesting. It takes you from heat to sweat and everywhere in between. I've made it 4 times now and every time it's been amazing.

    • cliffhutson71

    • Riverside, CA

    • 7/11/2016

See Related Recipes and Cooking Tips

Read More
Sweet-and-Sour Shrimp Ball Soup
Gently poached in an aromatic broth, these plump and juicy shrimp balls come together in a snap in the food processor for an easy weeknight meal.
Eggplant Tikkas in Creamy Yogurt, Mustard, Chile, and Ginger
Eggplant and onion pieces are marinated in spiced, creamy yogurt before being grilled or broiled.
Summer Corn With Ginger-Chile Prawns
This dish of sautéed prawns and sweet corn has an abundance of flavor thanks to fresh ginger and Thai chile.
Ochazuke (Rice Tea Soup)
Ochazuke (Japanese green tea over rice) is a soup is made with fresh or leftover rice in your rice bowl and green tea; add toppings to make it a full meal.
Sweet and Sour Chicken
Velvety chicken, canned pineapple, and ketchup come together in this beloved Chinese takeout recipe by way of Oahu.
Salty-and-Sour Lettuce
Change up your lettuce game and give your leaves a quick blanch to preserve their crunch and color and mild sweetness.
Molded Cranberry and Wine Jelly
Rosé and lemon juice highlight the fruity, tart notes of this retro cranberry jelly mold from Gourmet.
Peanut Butter and Jelly Oatmeal
Use brown sugar to mimic the sweetness of soft white sandwich bread.