yummy!

It's arguably the simplest dessert ever. We call it Chinia ghaans (china grass) because that's the name agar-agar goes by in Mumbai, which happens to be the only place I know of where its available here in India. Maybe because of the sea, but then India has a huge coastline. Anyway, its not to be found even here in the national capital! Lucky that my mother hails from Mumbai.

The recipe is simple enough. Your packet will probably tell you the amount of liquid, milk in this case. Cut the agar agar up fine, like this, this way it dissolves quicker. Add it to the milk. Cook on low heat, stirring occasionally till all the agar-agar disappears. Optionally you may add a bit of cardamom powder. Add the sugar, quantity will obviously depend on your taste, and bring to the boil once.

Take off the heat, pour into the dish you want to set it in. You want to sprinkle it with saffron, it looks beautiful! Once it has cooled to room temperature, carefully transfer the dish to a refrigerator, this way it firms up better. Once chilled, you may run a knife through it and cut it up in squares or diamonds, or have it just like that.