Chinese Desserts - From Fresh Fruit to Elaborate Puddings

There are not so many Chinese desserts as western desserts, for the simple reason that the Chinese are not huge dessert fans. We might consider a jello recipe to be the perfect end to a dinner, or a no bake cheesecake to be the ultimate indulgence, but a Chinese person would probably opt for a piece of fruit. There are some Chinese desserts but these tend to be overly sweet. Also, the Chinese prefer to snack between meals rather than eat their desserts after a meal.

A lot of Chinese homes did not have refrigerators until recently, which is another reason why chilled desserts have never been that popular. Ovens were also quite rare, which is why a lot of Chinese cakes are steamed instead of baked.

Chinese food is often quickly cooked and chefs love to cook rice and noodle stir fries in minutes. Elaborate, time consuming desserts are perhaps not that appealing to a Chinese chef who just wants to make quick dishes.

Examples of Chinese Dessert Recipes

Almond tea used to be sold door to door in China and it was made by grinding almonds and raw rice by hand. Today this treat is made with almond paste and rice flour. Adding gelatin or agar agar to this tea results in almond junket, which is the closest Chinese equivalent to western jello recipes. Almond tea is extremely sweet.

Peking dust is another popular dessert in China and this combination of whipped cream and chestnuts is thought to have been invented by western settlers in the early twentieth century. Precious pudding is a sweet rice pudding with dates, maraschino cherries and other colorful fruits. Each fruit is supposed to symbolize a precious stone such as emerald or ruby.

Tropical fruits are popular in China and you can choose from lychees, mandarin oranges, mangos and more. Serve fresh fruit marinated in a liqueur or steam it in honey syrup. You can also make banana or pineapple fritters and serve them with ice cream.

How to Combine Jello with Chinese Desserts

Jello is popular all over the world and you can combine China’s delicious fresh fruits with jello to make delicious desserts. What about adding lychees or rambutan to your favorite jello? Mandarin segments and banana slices are well loved in jello recipes but adding exotic fruits would add a special touch, especially if you plan to serve the jello recipe after an Asian dinner.

If you are watching your weight, you can always follow dinner with some China tea, perhaps jasmine tea or green tea, and a bowl of sugar free jello. Add some tropical fruits or simply leave it plain. This gives you enough sweetness to satisfy your sweet tooth and is a fat free and almost calorie free dessert. You can add artificial sweetener to the tea, or maybe a little honey.

Chinese Desserts - From Fresh Fruit to Elaborate Puddings