Agar Agar Powder (Gelidiella acerosa) 1 lb: K
This is Frontier's nitrogen-flushed double wall silverfoil pack. Some Frontier packs are double wall wax-lined paper. Probably best known to many as the culture-growing medium used in petri dishes in school science laboratories! Agar-agar (or agar), produced from several species of sea greens, is ususally sold as a light grey powder or as sun-dried flakes. It's a good substitute to animal gelatin as a gelling agent to make jellies. Also called kanten and Japanese gelatin, this tasteless dried seaweed acts as a setting agent. It is marketed throughout Asia in the form of blocks, powder or strands. Agar is a very valuable weight loss tool. It is a rich source of vitamins, minerals and iodine, it adds bulk to meals without increasing calories, and so helps to curb appetite. That is, the two most common weight-loss methods without ingestion of artificial substances are to eat as little as possible, which is very difficult to do, or to use as many calorie-free ingredients for cooking as possible so that hunger is satiated. The Japanese have been using the second method for centuries, and, as a consequence, only 5 percent of Japanese are overweight compared to more than 50 percent of Americans. Calorie-free cooking ingredients include mushrooms and sea vegetables, which the Japanese eat in large quantities. Agar helps the body eliminate bad cholesterol as more than 70 percent of its weight is dietary fiber. Agar may be prepared using water, vegetable stock, or vegatable or fruit juice. Add 2 teaspoons of agar to 600 ml (1 pint) of liquid. Bring the mixture to the boil and allow it to simmer for 3 minutes. Use it in sweet and savoury jellies and moulds. Agar can be substituted for gelatin but has stronger setting properties so less of it is required. Agar agar produces a firm, clear jelly and has mildly laxative properties. It will set at room temperature after about an hour - although it is advisable to store dishes gelled with agar agar in the fridge as it is a high protein food. Mango Pudding http://chinesefood.about.com/library/weekly/aa103102a.htm: Unlike heavier puddings thickened with cornstarch or flour, mango pudding's delicate texture comes from marrying mangoes with agar agar. The only real trick to mango pudding is making sure both the agar and sugar are thoroughly dissolved. You can alter the sweetness level by adding or reducing the amount of sugar called for in a recipe, or reduce the fat content by substituting whole or even skim milk in place of evaporated milk or cream. For a fancier presentation, simply add a few lime leaves or slices of Asian fruit. Sweet Potato Parfait http://vegetarian.about.com/library/holidays/blparfait.htm: Recipe By :Richard Pierce, Vegetarian Times, November 1998 Serving Size : 8 2 large sweet potatoes ¼ cup unfiltered apple juice 2 tablespoons agar-agar flakes ½ cup barley malt ¼ cup maple syrup 2 tablespoons vanilla extract ¼ teaspoon sea salt ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon