Nosh of the Day: Taiwanese Grass Jelly & the Rise of Michael Bublé Tea

You will find grass jelly (or cincau / 'chin chow' as it's sometimes called here) in foodstalls all over China / SE Asia. It is a black, slightly translucent jelly made from a plant of the mint family. It doesn't have much flavour (a little bitter, perhaps) but is quite refreshing and often added to drinks and desserts.

Aside: Michael Bublé Tea

For Westerners I think the concept of having drinks containing jellies, noodles etc is a bit strange. These drinks are very popular in Asia, though! One variety which is certainly gaining ground in London is 'Bubble Tea'. This can be tea, coffee, a variety of milkshakes or juices to which are added black chewy balls of tapioca known as 'pearls' or boba (a different ingredient from grass jelly). Bubble tea is in fact a recent Taiwanese invention, which has taken off across Asia and globally.

(I would recommend the milky drinks over the juices btw!)


Anyway, I was quite excited to be introduced to a new Taiwan-style fooderie in Clementi, Singapore called Blackball (黑丸嫩仙草) which offers teas and many varieties of Taiwanese desserts, including original grass jelly and pearls. We tried two basic tubs: grass jelly with sweet red bean paste; and grass jelly with pearls.

Before this, I had only seen cincau as 'noodles' or rubbery cubes added to drinks. Here it was a large 'blob', a bit like a blancmange! It was slightly fragrant, and much softer and smoother than the other varieties I've tried in Asia. Definitely refreshing. The sweet red bean was a good balance, actually.

With 'pearls'

I also tried the pearls, which were again much smoother and a little more (nutty?)  flavourful than the regular. The desserts came with cream to add, but I personally found it more refreshing without.

If you are in the Clementi MRT area, go in and give it a try!

Places:
Blackball, Level 1 (ground floor if you are British!) CityVibe Mall, Clementi, Singapore

My fave bubble tea places in London (both in Chinatown):
Boba Jam - 102 Shaftesbury Avenue, W1D 5EJ
Candy Cafe - 3 Macclesfield Street, W1D 6AU (up the back stairs!)

ps For some reason the phrase 'bubble tea' became converted to Michael Bublé tea by my London friends - I am not sure why! ^^

Bubble tea pic courtesy hungryinlondon.com