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Sakura, Sakura, Sakura……..
The cherry blossoms greet me everywhere these days.

Sakura is such an elegant flower.

It absolutely impresses most of the people when they are fully blooming, and captivate their hearts.

I am certainly one of them.

There are so many songs singing about it or connecting to it.

There are also many beautiful expressions using the word, Sakura, and also the words implying Sakura using just the word “Hana / flower” in Japanese language. 

In music, in literature, in arts, Sakura is one of the most popular themes.

It plays an important role in my cooking too.

 Kaidozakura cherry blossom

I preserve the pink color petals in spring and use them all the year round to entertain the guests from around the world because I know that the cherry blossoms associate with Japan for some of them, and they, especially the ladies are happy to see them in my cooking.  (But for Japanese, it often gives the impression of out of season if I use them in other seasons, so I use them only in spring for them.  )
You can check some of my recipes of those from here.

Sakura Onigiri / Rice Balls

 

Sakura Soup

 

Sakura Dango / Sakura Dumplings

Today’s recipe is not Sakura recipe though.

It is “Amanatsu Mikan Jelly / Agar jelly using two types of oranges”.

Amanatsu is a citron which is bigger and tastes sourer than normal Japanese orange whose season is the winter. 
Some Amanatsu are sweeter and juicier than others.

But for today’s recipe, you can use the sourer Amanatsu (even sourest one) that you may find it is too sour to eat.

By combining it with the 100% pure Mikan orange Juice, it creates the synergetic effect, and its taste turns out to much tastier.

Amanatsu Orange Jelly, Vegan 甘夏みかんゼリー

 

Ingredients (for 4～6 servings)

250g water

4g agar agar powder

1~3 amanatsu (to yield 100ml juice)

500ml 100% pure mikan juice or orange juice

50g unrefined sugar

Wild spring flowers or mint leaves for decoration

Procedures

1.    Slice Amanatsu into halves horizontally to the bottom button, and   Squeeze out the juice. 

＊Do it gently so that you will not break the skin which you will use it as the molds at later stage.

2.    Pour juice over the strainer and remove unwanted seeds and fibers.

3.    Remove the inner membrane and fibers from the hollow parts of the halved amanatsu skin.

 

5.    Add agar agar powder into the pot with water.　Heat up over medium flame, stirring constantly.　　When it reached the boiling point, reduce the heat to low, add sugar and keep stirring for 1~2 min over low flame.

 

6.    Combine amanatsu juice and mikan/orange juice, and then transfer to the pot of agar agar water.

 

7.    Mix well and divide the mixture into the molds.

＊If amanatsu mold is not enough, you can use glass bowls.

8.    When it is set, keep in a fridge.

＊Agar agar sets at about 40℃ which is much higher than jelly powder so it should set quite quickly.  In other words, if you are slow to transfer the liquid into mold, it may get set in the pot already.  Therefore once all the ingredients combined, divide quickly into the mold.   

9.    Decorate with the wild spring flowers or mint on top.

 

Notes 

1.   This jelly tastes nicer when orange juice is pure 100%, not from concentrate.

2.   If you do not have amanatsu, you can replace it with some lemon juice and additional orange juice, but may not be able to obtain the same yumminess.

Happy cooking!