Sichuan Ice Powder

Ingredients

• 25g ice powder seeds (bing fen zi) or 25g white ice powder mix
• 1 litre warm water, around 40C
• 1/4 tsp food-grade lime water or 1/8 tsp slaked lime dissolved in 1 tbsp water
• 150g dark brown sugar
• 150ml water, for the syrup
• 2 slices ginger
• 60g roasted peanuts, roughly crushed
• 3 tbsp raisins
• 3 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
• 100g small cooked glutinous rice balls
• 2 tbsp dried osmanthus flowers, optional

Before you cook

• Tie the ice powder seeds into a double layer of muslin, leaving room for them to swell
• Warm one litre of water until it is just above blood heat
• Crush the peanuts and gather the toppings in small bowls
• Cook the glutinous rice balls in boiling water until they float, then cool them in cold water

Steps

1. Put the muslin bag into the warm water and squeeze it repeatedly with your fingers for about ten minutes.
2. Keep squeezing until the water turns cloudy and noticeably slippery, then wring the bag out hard and discard it.
3. Stir the lime water into the liquid and mix steadily for thirty seconds.
4. Skim off any foam from the surface so the finished jelly stays clear.
5. Pour the liquid into a wide dish and leave it undisturbed at room temperature for one hour until set.
6. Chill the set jelly in the fridge for a further hour.
7. Put the brown sugar, water and ginger into a pan and simmer for eight minutes until syrupy, then discard the ginger and cool the syrup completely.
8. Cut the chilled jelly into rough cubes with a spoon and divide it between four bowls.
9. Pour the cold syrup over the jelly.
10. Top each bowl with crushed peanuts, raisins, sesame seeds, rice balls and a pinch of osmanthus if you have it.
11. Serve while it is still very cold.