How Grass Jelly is Made from Grass to Jelly

When boiling dried grass jelly, a small amount of edible alkali (like sodium carbonate) is usually added. This is because an alkaline environment can effectively break down plant cell walls, accelerating the release of trapped polysaccharides and colloids, and significantly shortening the boiling time. Grass jelly extract naturally contains divalent metal ions such as calcium ions (Ca²⁺) and magnesium ions (Mg²⁺). These ions act like 'natural buttons,' forming ionic cross-links with the long chains of polysaccharides, tightly binding the strands together. Although grass jelly extract has its own colloids, its concentration is usually insufficient for it to 'spontaneously' solidify into a perfect shape (pure plant-based grass jelly colloid is only about 20%). Therefore, traditional methods involve adding a small amount of tapioca starch, sweet potato starch, or cassava starch. When starch encounters heat, it gelatinizes (molecules swell and unfold), and cross-links with the long polysaccharide chains of the grass jelly, trapping water molecules within, thereby weaving a dense three-dimensional network structure. Since grass jelly is a network formed by the cross-linking of polysaccharides, ions, and starch, this structure is extremely stable and thermally irreversible. Therefore, even when pure grass jelly is added to hot soup ingredients in the summer or heated into a 'smooth grass jelly dessert,' it will maintain its soft, solid state and will not turn into water.