Grass Jelly

Grass Jelly (Chinese: 仙草 / 烧仙草; Pinyin: Xiāncǎo / Shāo xiāncǎo; also Mesona jelly) is a dark brown to black jelly made by boiling the herb Mesona chinensis / Platostoma palustre (仙草) with starch, then setting and cutting the gel into cubes or strips. It is eaten as a chilled dessert, in sweet soups, or as a topping for drinks. It is not Liangfen (凉粉), the pale savory starch jelly dressed with chili and vinegar.

Characteristics

Color is nearly black with a slight herbal bitterness balanced by sugar syrup, condensed milk, or fruit. Texture is soft jelly, usually firmer than Almond Tofu. Soft tasting notes in food writing praise a light smoky undertone when mesona is properly dried and boiled, versus flat canned cubes. Often mixed with red beans, taro balls, sago, or fresh fruit in dessert shops. Warm “melted” bowls (烧仙草) read as thick sweet soup rather than set cubes.

Ingredients (overview)

Dried Mesona herb, starch (arrowroot, cassava/tapioca, potato, or corn in industrial lines), water, sugar syrup or evaporated milk for serving. Soft alkaline carbonate notes appear in traditional boiling descriptions. No chili-vinegar savory dressing (contrast Liangfen). Overview only—not a recipe.

History and culture

Southern Chinese, Hakka, Fujian, and Taiwan dessert tradition; Hong Kong and Southeast Asian Chinese cafés serve grass jelly drinks and bowls. Soft cultural attribution: writers often call grass jelly a Hakka signature linked to cooling relief after field work—label as folk/cultural framing, not a certificate of exclusive invention.

Soft naming trap: in some Cantonese menus the characters 凉粉 may point at this dark jelly, which collides with Mandarin savory Liangfen; English “grass jelly” / xiancao and the pale chili-vinegar plate should be kept distinct on this wiki. Taiwan shaved-ice and bubble-tea counters use cubes as toppings; diaspora Southeast Asia knows related cincau / chaokuai forms. Peer cold desserts include Almond Tofu and Red Bean Soup.

Serving and regional variations

Chilled dessert bowl, sweet soup, drink topping, or warm shaoxiancao with tangyuan and taro balls. Soft regional map: Hakka/Guangdong herbal dessert shops; Taiwan night-market bowls; Hong Kong café fruit mixes with condensed milk; Southeast Asian iced drinks. Soft quality cue: freshly cut blocks often taste more fragrant than long-shelf canned cubes. See Taiwan Food, Hong Kong Food, Liangfen, and Almond Tofu.

See also

• Guiling Gao
• Liangfen
• Almond Tofu
• Red Bean Soup
• Taiwan Food
• Hong Kong Food
• Mango Pudding
• List of dishes (A-Z)