This week, we're headed into hotly-requested-but-I'm-not-familiar-with-the-source-material territory with The Disastrous Life of Saiki K. Our titular hero has a particular affinity for caffeine in jiggle-form, and with the help of a bevy of coffee gadgetry, we'll bring this wiggling summertime treat to life.

 

Ingredients

For Level 1 (Easiest) Coffee Jelly

  • 2 cups of coffee (instant or store-bought canned Japanese coffee)

  • 1 pack of gelatin

  • Canned whipped cream

For Level 2 (Espresso Based) Coffee Jelly

  • ⅔ cup of espresso

  • 1 ⅓ cup of water

  • 1 ½ teaspoons or half a packet of agar agar

  • ¼ cup sugar

For Level 3 (Fancy) Coffee Jelly

  • 37g coffee beans, medium grind (I used Kopi Luwak)

  • 1 ½ teaspoons or half a packet of agar agar

  • 1 ⅓ cup of water

For the whipped cream:

  • 1 cup cream

  • 1-2 Tbsp sugar

Method

Level 1 (Easiest) Coffee Jelly

  1. Measure out 2 cups of coffee and deposit into a medium saucepan, saving about ¾ cup of coffee in a dish on the side. Dissolve one pack of gelatin into the coffee on the side and give a tiny whisk. 

  2. Take the saucepan to the stove on a medium low flame until it reaches a rolling boil and then dump in the gelatin coffee mixture. Tiny whisk over medium low until the mixture is completely incorporated. Turn off heat and let cool for about 5 minutes.

  3. Once it’s cooled down, ladle into serving vessel of choice and gently place into fridge for at least 3 hours until gelatinous.

  4. Remove from fridge and add canned whipped cream on top.

Level 2 (Espresso Based) Coffee Jelly

  1. Make ⅔ cup of espresso.

  2. Add 1 ⅓ cup of water, 1 ½ teaspoons (or half a packet) of agar agar, and ¼ cup of sugar into a medium saucepan. Tiny whisk agar agar and sugar to dissolve until no crystals remain. Turn off heat and allow to cool for about 5 minutes before adding ⅔ cup of espresso to the saucepan.

  3. Taste for sweetness and adjust accordingly before ladling into desired serving vessels. Place vessels into fridge for around an hour, depending on size, until jelly-like. If placing into a different vessel, loosen around edges with a knife, and invert onto the new vessel. 

  4. Make whipped cream by mixing about a cup of cream with a tablespoon or two of sugar. Mix until you see stiff peaks or big chunks and drop into pastry bag with a decorative tip. Squeeze whipped cream onto coffee jelly in a fun pattern.

Level 3 (Fancy) Coffee Jelly

  1. Set coffee grinder to 7 for a medium coffee grind appropriate for a pour-over method. Make sure your grounds are are medium, assuming you are using a pour over method.

  2. Heat water to 205°F, wet pour over paper filter, and dump excess water. Fill filter with 37g of ground coffee. 

  3. Pre dissolve ½ teaspoons or half a packet of agar agar in a medium saucepan with 1 ⅓ cup of water and ¼ cup of sugar. Pour dissolved agar agar into gooseneck kettle and slowly start pouring over the filter, straight down the center at first. Once water rises up, pour to the sides of the coffee in a sort of elliptical massaging pattern. Let sit for 1-2 minutes until all the water has filtered through. Use hot water to knock the grounds off the sides of the filter and continue the elliptical pattern until there is 500g of coffee. Let sit for another 1-2 minutes and remove the filter.

  4. Pour mixture into desired mold and leave in fridge for at least 2 hours before extracting onto a plate. Decorate with whipped cream. Alternatively, cut gelatin into cubes and place into a decorative bowl. Top with lightly whipped, lightly sweetened heavy cream.