Jelly Oranges

It's been at the back of my mind to whip some jelly oranges up and then guess what? Yi made a batch after seeing it on some website. She's forgotten about the jelly oranges we ate at little Masae's house a long time ago. Masae is the daughter of Yoko, a neighbor from Japan whose soba sushi I had blogged about.

Instead of making another batch of jelly oranges using Yoko's recipe, which I prefer because she uses the juice from the oranges, I will put up the photos Yi took of her culinary masterpiece.

Why make jelly oranges when you can eat the real thing? It puzzles me too, the Japanese knack for imitating this and that and generally tinkering with nature. Haven't you noticed? Imitation crabmeat and square watermelons, enhanced eyes and noses, fake eyelashes that can SLICE, wannabe singers (karaoke) and even cartoon characters (cosplay). However, besides copycatting, the Japanese are good at improving on whatever they copy. Cars, cameras, you name it. When I was little, anything Japanese-made was fa hok or fragile/not-lasting and nobody would buy it. Then the Taiwanese came along and elevated the Japanese because their (the Taiwaneses') products were even more fa hok than the Japanese. Now it is the Chinese who supply the world with fa hok things from fridges to food products. While the Japanese are eager to prove their ingenuity, they also make sure they uphold their country's reputation, but the Chinese have only one thing in mind: profits.

And what was this post about? Oh yes, jelly oranges. So, anyway, if you have a children's party coming up, jelly oranges are a sure hit. Which child will eat the real thing anyway.






Yoko's Jelly Oranges
Oranges, preferable NOT navels because they have obtrusive navels (duh)
juice from the orange, strained
sugar
gelatine powder

1. Cut oranges into halves, scoop oranges sections out to make cups.

2. Use 1 tablespoon gelatine powder to 500 ml water, or adjust to your liking. Heat half the amount of water required to boiling and stir well to dissolve the gelatine powder and sugar. Remove from heat. Now add the juice and water to make up to the correct water level.

3. Scoop jelly mixture into the orange cups and chill until firm in fridge. Cut each half into half.

You can also use orange-flavored Jello instead of the juice and gelatine. Cheat if that's your style.