Ingredient: agar-agar

Agar-Agar – The Vegetarian Alternative To Gelatin

Agar-Agar is otherwise called kanten or China Grass. As it is a seaweed some people believe it to be a non-vegetarian food. But, it is completely vegetarian. In Chinese agar-agar home recipes and particularly in restaurants, chefs use agar-agar to give a glossy and smooth finish to dishes in the place of gelatin. When used rightly, it will easily set at room temperature. This is one of the reasons why it is used in Chinese cuisines. Nowadays, agar-agar is offered in the form of powders and flakes. It is particularly obtained from red seaweed. Also, as it is possible to use agar-agar in aspics, pie fillings and puddings as a natural thickener, it is widely used in Chinese cuisines.

When it comes to preparing agar-agar recipes, it is better to dissolve it in hot water for about half-an-hour. Once it completely gets dissolved, you can use it in Chinese agar-agar recipes. Otherwise, you can also coarsely powder the sheets of agar-agar in a mixer. Then, it will be easy to quickly dissolve it. Otherwise, you can also get agar-agar in powdered form, which will be easy to use. When you use a knife, it is better to initially slice the agar jelly horizontally if you buy it in gel form. Then, you can slice vertically. In some Chinese dishes, you will have to use sliced Agar-agar. This method is good to do it.