Top 3 recipes using agar agar

Oct 19, 2022 Michał Pelc

More and more people are looking for alternatives to the traditional "binders". Vegans are looking for an alternative to classic gelatin that they could successfully include in their diet. The proposition for them is agar agar, "gelatin" made from sea algae, which has many uses. Here are the top 3 recipes using it.

What is agar agar?

Agar agar available in our store is a gelling substance, which is made from red algae that grow off the coast of Japan. It is neutral in taste and smell. Therefore, there is no fear that desserts, cakes or sauces with the addition of this product will have a sea scent or aftertaste. Agar agar contains almost no calories, but it has a lot of fiber, vitamins K, E, B6, folic acid and omega 3 acid.
An additional advantage of agar agar is that it can be heated several times. Cooking with it requires a bit of practice and feeling, so if the jelly comes out a bit too tight, you can easily warm it up and add juice until you get the desired consistency. This also works the other way around. If the dish is too sparse, just add a little more agar agar. It is a very practical product. It does not require refrigeration because it freezes at 30 degrees C.

What to prepare with agar agar?

Here are 3 simple and tasty recipes:

Colorful jelly beans for children without preservatives and sugar

There is something about jellies that all children love from an early age. Unfortunately, those in stores are not healthy, so moms of gourmands have to roll up their sleeves and prepare homemade, healthy jelly beans. Fortunately, with agar agar it's simple and doesn't take more than 5 minutes.

Ingredients:

100 g of raspberries
6 tablespoons of coconut milk
Approx. half a teaspoon agar agar
Half a teaspoon of bourbon vanilla

Preparation:
Working time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Setting time: 1 day
Difficulty level: easy

Rub the raspberries through a sieve. Put into a pot, add coconut milk, agar agar, mix well and bring to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes on low heat, stirring constantly. Add the vanilla. Boil it again. The whole mass should be quite dense and "pull". Transfer to small silicone molds and refrigerate. After approx. 10-12 hours, remove from the molds. Store in a tightly closed can, in a refrigerator.
Despite the addition of coconut milk, the jellies do not have a coconut flavor. Milk is supposed to provide texture.

You can also use strawberries, blueberries and peaches to prepare these jellies. Frozen fruit is also suitable.

Plum marmalade

The plum season is in full swing. You can make a lot of delicious preserves from them. We recommend plum marmalade:

Ingredients:

500 g of plums
6 tablespoons of cane sugar
1 teaspoon of cardamom
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
Some vanilla sugar
1/3 teaspoon agar agar

Preparation:
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Difficulty level: easy

Wash the plums, remove the stones and cut them into small pieces. Add sugar and cook for about 10 minutes. Add cardamom, vanilla sugar and cinnamon.
Take the pot off the heat, add 1/3 teaspoon agar agar and bring it to a boil again. Cook for a short while. Rinse the jar with boiling water and put the marmalade in it. Close. Turn upside down after a while and cool.
There isn't much sugar in this version, so marmalade may feel a little sour. If you prefer a sweeter one - you can add an extra teaspoon of sugar.

Jelly with vegetables

A great healthy snack, full of vitamins and colors. Perfect for every season of the year:
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Difficulty level: easy

Serving: 4 people

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon of dried basil
50 g dried tomatoes (not with oil)
400 ml of vegetable stock
2 carrots
1 zucchini
1 leek (white part)
150 g green peas (preferably frozen)
1 tsp agar agar
100 ml of wine vinegar
A little salt
Pepper, cane sugar to taste

Yoghurt sauce

2 eggs
25 g of capers
1 onion
2 teaspoons of green parsley
4 pickled cucumbers
150 ml of sour cream or 4 tablespoons of thick yogurt
Pepper, salt to taste

Preparation:

Boil the basil, sun-dried tomatoes and the vegetable stock, set aside for about 15 minutes. Drain through a sieve.
Carrot, celery, leek and zucchini cut into small strips. In a large pot, boil water with a little Himalayan salt (link it). Put the chopped vegetables into boiling water, cook for a while to soften. Drain the water, temper the vegetables with cold water, drain well. Boil the peas and drain them well in a strainer (or on paper towels). Put the vegetables into 4 salad bowls with a capacity of about 250 ml.
Dissolve agar agar in 5 tablespoons of prepared stock. Heat up the remaining stock in vinegar. Add agar agar and bring to the boil while stirring. Cook for a further 2 minutes while stirring.
Add pepper and sugar to taste. Pour hot broth in salad bowls, cool and set aside in a cool place for 6 hours.

Yoghurt sauce

Hard-boil the eggs, cool them, peel them and cut them into larger pieces. Dice the peeled cucumbers, capers and onions. Add parsley, mix with yoghurt, possibly season with pepper or salt to taste. Prepare the sauce just before serving.
Just before serving, put the salad bowls in hot water for a while to get jellies out of them. Serve with a spoonful of yoghurt sauce and dark bread.

Agar agar has many uses - so it is worth including it in your daily diet. The more so because it is healthier than classic gelatin.