Agar agar is a gelatin that comes from a seaweed and has the power to thicken liquids in the form of a very nutritious gelatin.
The word agar comes from Malay and means jelly or jelly, it stayed with the name agar agar because as usual, repeating the word twice gives it more emphasis. It is a colorless and tasteless substance that absorbs water in quantities of 200 and 300 times its weight.
Due to its high capacity to absorb water, it swells on contact with it, producing a viscous solution that turns into a very firm jelly when boiled.
Agar agar is a good alternative for vegetarians since normal gelatins are made from animal bones and tendons and agar is a 100% natural gelatin.
Benefits
Agar agar is very beneficial for health as it provides calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, iron, phosphorus and iodine, among other trace elements. It also has many other benefits such as:
- Helps eliminate waste from the stomach and intestine.
- Regulates constipation
- Decreases cholesterol and triglycerides, thanks to its depurative property, manages to drag their excess, preventing them from passing into the blood.
- Regulates sugar levels.
- Ideal in diets to lose weight due to its high satiating power and its low caloric intake.
Consumption Mode
It can be used as a replacement for regular gelatin, however keep in mind that it is a gelatin of vegetable origin with a gelling power ten times higher than that of regular gelatin.
For 2 cups of water or liquid (500 ml):
- For very soft or mushy textures such as sauces, heavy creams, toppings: 0.8-2 g of agar-agar powder or 1 teaspoon of flakes.
- For hard textures such as flans, tarts, pastry fillings: 4-5 g of agar-agar powder or 1/2 tablespoon of flakes.
- For very hard textures such as very firm jellies or sauté cubes: 7-8 g or a tablespoon of flakes.
