[Sca-cooks] Almond Jello (was Period Foods: How to Fake It!)
lilinah at earthlink.net
lilinah at earthlink.net
Fri Dec 5 10:32:30 PST 2003
Cynara wrote:
> > If memory serves, we used the Asian style
> > almond gel, which is based on agar-agar, a seaweed product and not an
> > animal product at all. And yummy.
> >
> > Selene C.
>
>This sounds interesting -- where does one get it, and how does it compare to
>regular gelatin? I am in the process of converting all my recipes to
>non-allergenic stuff, and have been completely stumped by jello.
Agar (or agar-agar) is sold here in California in our large
supermarkets. It is also available in East and Southeast Asian
markets - it is used in Chinese, Japanese, Thai, and Indonesian
cooking, for example. It is also available in many health food
stores. And i believe i have seen it in halal markets.
It comes in several forms. There are long white rectangles, there are
flakes, and it also comes pre-dyed intense red and green. It is very
very light weight and pretty much flavorless - although i imagine
there could be some variation in brands (and processing).
Unlike animal gelatin it won't melt if the weather is hot. It is
often a bit firmer than the standard amount of animal gelatin, but
you the cook can control this - and it seems to me that using
additional animal gelatin to make a firmer product has become popular
- and not just for jello shooters :-)
To use agar, you soak it in warm water until it has absorbed the
water and is soft - work it a bit to dissolve it.
Anahita
More information about the Sca-cooks
mailing list