John Myers
“Japanese fish glue” – when you hear this term, you think of sushi rather than desserts and can’t imagine preparing a delicious dessert with it? Keep reading anyway! Because agar-agar is very good as a vegetable gelling agent and does not taste like fish at all.
Vegan Gelling Agent: What is Agar-Agar?
Anyone who eats a vegan diet will at some point face the challenge of finding a gelatine substitute. After all, popular gourmet dishes such as panna cotta or a delicious fruit cream are also very popular with this diet. Since gelatine is obtained from pork, beef, poultry, or fish – the expert answers the question of exactly which part of the animal gelatine is made from – it is not suitable for vegan cuisine. The solution: agar-agar, also known as Japanese fish glue or Chinese gelatin. These are carbohydrates that are obtained from dried algae and have very good gelling properties. In Southeast Asia, the thickening agent, which is still rarely used in this country, is standard, because gelatine is exotic there.
Buy and use agar-agar gelatin
As a gelling agent, agar-agar can be found in well-stocked supermarkets, drugstores, health food stores, and health food stores with vegetarian-vegan products. Agar-agar plates, on the other hand, are not intended for the kitchen: they are used as a nutrient medium for bacterial cultures in laboratories. The application of agar-agar for food preparation depends heavily on the liquid used. In acidic juices or high-fat dairy products, for example, the binding power, which is up to ten times stronger than that of gelatine, is less than in water. The tasteless powder only thickens after cooking. If you have no experience with the vegan agar-agar, it is best to do a gelling test first. To do this, put a teaspoon of the liquid boiled with agar-agar on a small plate and place it in the freezer. If the mass is still liquid or too firm after a few minutes, you should adjust the dosage of the gelling agent. Otherwise, the rule of thumb is that one or two level teaspoons are sufficient for 500 ml or 500 g of thickened material.
Recipes with the alternative to gelatine
For first attempts, we recommend our recipe for Blueberry Cheesecake. For the cheesecake, algae agar is used for the icing. This runs down the side of the baked goods in pretty drops. The cake icings, also known as drips, are trendy and can be implemented particularly well with agar-agar. Why not bake our Raindrop Cake, which scores with its droplet appearance? Another domain for the vegetable thickener is desserts: try our delicious vegan soy panna cotta. Otherwise, agar-agar can also be used to bind sauces, for pies, terrines, and savory creams, as well as for puddings, jams, and homemade fruit gums.
