Yummy Pretty Konnyaku Jelly
Blackcurrant Lychee Konnyaku Jelly
Honeydew Milk Konnyaku Jelly
Konnyaku Jelly with Fruit Cocktail
A Slice of Peach & Milk Layered Konnyaku Jelly Cake
Pretty Konnyaky Jelly Moulds and Unflavoured/Unsweetened Jelly Powder
Jelly Moulds and Powder are available online at my webstore HERE.
Health Benefits of Konnyaku – sourced from Wikipedia 
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Konnyaku Jelly is made from the Konjac plant, grown in Japan, China and Korea. It is a popular Asian fruit jelly and in the US, it is known as Konjac jelly, usually served in bite-sized cups.
Konnyaku Gel, from the Konjac plant
Initially, it was highly appreciated as a medicinal food and eaten as a therapeutic food by Buddhist monks who played the roles of doctors for a long time in Japan. Then, it became widespread among the general public and was popularised. Once it became popular, its therapeutic aspects were highly appreciated and believed for a long time and some of them are still believed. For example, Konnyaku might relieve coughs and be good for tumours. It should heal frost-bitten or chilblained toes or fingers if you put them into hot water in which Konnyaku is warmed up. Or it should cool down skin burns or scalds and reduce the pain and so on.
Konnyaku has been used for a long time as an “old wives’ remedy.” Konnyaku has been called “a broom in the stomach” and “a cleaner in the bowels” because of its function in normalising intestinal disorders. It has often been eaten in order to excrete waste and toxic matters from the body. Medieval Japanese people knew of the benefits of Konnyaku through their experience.
The publication of the book called Konnyaku Hyakusen (100 recipes of Konnyaku) in 1846 shows how much Konnyaku was loved by Japanese people in those days. After its publication, those recipes of Konnyaku became popular. Many of the recipes in Konnyaku Hyakusen are still loved and eaten at the family table and are part of domestic Japanese culinary tastes.
Japanese people knew that Konnyaku was good for the health through their experience. Recently it has been scientifically proved that Konnyaku really is good for the health. Nowadays many people are trying to be slim and to prevent adult diseases (arteriosclerosis, heart disease, diabetes, cancer, constipation, gallstone, and haemorrhoids). Many people are more health conscious and try to eat health food and not to take many food additives. Konnyaku has recently attracted those people a lot.
Konnyaku is very low in calories, and full of dietary fibre and minerals. Moreover, it is a totally natural food. In Japan, Konnyaku is widely perceived as a health food. That is why Konnyaku jelly and a Konnyaku diet are booming in Japan.
Carolyn Quigley said,
March 30, 2012 @ 2:55 am
2 questions:
1. I have that bar of konnyaku gel that I bought at the store recently, but I don’t know what to do with it. Do you know any recipes that would include that? I was thinking about slicing it thin & using it similar to shirataki noodles. Any better suggestions?
2. I also have a bag of “konjak glucommanan powder” which I thought was the same as konnyaku jelly powder (it’s from the same root as shirataki noodles, which are konnyaku…) anyways, I have tried twice now to make konnyaku jellies but with no success. First of all, the powder clumps like crazy as soon as I pour it into the liquid. Secondly, I have a feeling I’m not using enough, because it comes out the texture of pudding, not gel. (I followed the proportions of this recipe: http://www.the-chinesefood.com/dessert_4.html and used 1.5tsp of powder with 500mL of juice)
I heard elsewhere that konnyaku jelly powder is ground konjak root “mixed with calcium hydroxide or calcium oxide extracted from eggshells.” Does that mean my powder won’t gel unless it has this calcium oxide or hydroxide, or does it just mean I’m probably not using enough powder? I want to use up what I have before I buy something else, so I was thinking I would try again with twice as much powder, but I also don’t want to keep wasting ingredients.
You seem to have a good amount of experience with making konnyaku jellies, so I was hoping you might have some good suggestions for me the beginner. to sum up:
–How do I keep the powder from clumping when I add it to the liquid?
–Could it be that I just need to double the amount of powder, or do I need to buy stuff that probably has calcium hydroxide in it? (what do your packets of konnyaku powder say? do they have calcium oxide or hydroxide in them?)
Thanks for your help. Sorry for such a long post.
Carolyn Quigley said,
March 30, 2012 @ 3:23 am
ok, I’m going to answer 1 of my own questions now… I just read that the calcium hydroxide (sold as pickling lime) is needed for the chemical reaction to form the gel. So yes, that is why my mixtures have not been gelling.
For anyone interested in making konnyaku jellies, just go ahead & buy the packets. That way you know the proportions are going to be right & that you won’t be wasting ingredients.
happyhomemaker88 said,
April 1, 2012 @ 1:51 pm
Hi there, dear Carolyn
The ingredients listed on the back of the packet of Jim Wiilie Konnyaku Jelly Powder are :-
Carrageenan, Vegetable Gum, Konnyaku Powder and Permitted Food Conditioners
Carrageenan is a food additive that functions as a thickener, stabiliser and texturiser in a variety of processed foods. It is cost-effective and its good gelling properties have paved the way for its use in jelly production. Carageenan is grouped as a food additive with GRAS (Generally recognised As Safe) status and sometimes labelled as E407 or seaweed extract.
So far, I only have experience in making Konnyaku Jellies using the Jim Willie brand of jelly powder here and I don’t have any recipes that use the Konnyaku gel or the konjac glucommanan powder you mentioned.
With best wishes,
choesf
happyhomemaker88 said,
April 1, 2012 @ 1:57 pm
P.S. To keep the jelly powder from clumping
:-
1) in a small bowl, mix about 2 tablespoons of sugar thoroughly into the powder
2) while stirring continously with a whisk, pour in the water or juice a little at a time until the sugar and powder are mixed thoroughly
3) boil jelly mixture over medium fire on the stove, be sure to stir continously ….