Beth Denny

I’d been reminiscing about Asian drinks from my childhood with Mabel over at mabelkwong.com recently, which made me really crave Grass Jelly. I asked my mum to buy it from her local Chinese supermarket, in London for me. There is normally a brand that we buy, I think it’s called Foco, but they didn’t stock it at the shop my mum went to. Instead she bought Chin Chin’s and what caught my attention, which is the main reason I thought I would share this post with you, was that it was banana flavour. Grass Jelly drinks are quite unique tasting anyway and I thought it was made even more so with a hint of banana. Normally, there is a sweet almost honey and herbaceous taste to these beverages and a bit like bubble tea, there are little jelly pieces that sink to the bottom and you need a big straw to help you drink it.

What I like about this and a lot of Asian drinks is that there are bits to chew as you drink. I really like Foco’s Roasted Coconut juice as this has chopped up coconut flesh and the tapioca jelly balls in bubble tea too. I remember drinking the latter for the first time about 15 years ago on a trip to Thailand. My younger cousin, Bank, took me to Siam Square (a trendy shopping area for students) and I remember liking it so much, I desperately wanted it to be sold in the UK. It wasn’t until my cousin came over here to study at University, about five years later, that I had it again when he took me to a Chinese restaurant that sold it in Chinatown, London.

Have you tried a Grass Jelly drink before and did you like it? Let me know.

Bx