After reading a blog yesterday, I have been craving for Agar-Agar. I can't remember when was the last time I had this...it has also been more than 2 decades since I made Agar-Agar. My elder sister-Linda is the one who taught me how to make this. I am very thankful to her till today.
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| Dried Strips of Agar-Agar |
This morning, I went to a few Asian groceries in search for agar-agar powder or dried agar agar strips. I managed to find the dried strips at D.H Supermarket in New Lynn. Now, come to think about it I have never made Agar-Agar for my son at all and today I was going to make this for Tony as a Father's Day dessert. It was a substitute for a black forest cake (Tony has requested for it)....I was not confident in baking a black forest cake at this point.
The Agar Agar I made was Agar-Agar with Coconut Milk. It has been ages since I last made this, it did not turned out looking nice as the dried strips were not dissolved fully. But it was a good try!
What is Agar-Agar?
Agar or Agar-Agar is a gelatinous substance derived from red algae. Historically and in a modern context, it is chiefly used as an ingredient in desserts throughout Asia. Agar (agar-agar) can be used as a laxative, a vegetarian gelatin substitute, a thickener for soups, in jellies, ice cream and other desserts, as a clarifying agent in brewing, and for paper sizing fabrics.
The word "Agar" comes from the Malay word Agar-Agar (meaning jelly). Agar-Agar is a natural vegetable gelatin counterpart. White and semi-translucent, it is sold in packages as washed and dried strips or in powdered form. It can be used to make jellies, puddings, and custards. For making jelly, it is boiled in water until the solids dissolve. Sweetener, flavouring, colouring, fruit or vegetables are then added and the liquid is poured into molds to be served as desserts and vegetable aspics, or incorporated with other desserts, such as a jelly layer in a cake.
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