Agar, agave & kuzu, oh my

[pinenut]

Can anyone suggest any sort of vegan options for these three products?

Isn't agar similar to gelatin (which I don't eat since I'm vegan)?

And I know agave is a sweetener, but I can't substitue honey (again...vegan). But I did pick up some Stevia powder...would Stevia be a good substitue for agava?

Finally is Kuzu similar to corn starch? Isn't basically just a thickening agent for gravies and soups, etc?

I absolutely cannot find any of those three products here in Cayman and I need to find three similar substitues for my recipies.

[Kris]

Agar agar, while it serves the same purpose as gelatin, is not an animal product. It is a natural vegetarian gelatin made from red algae. If you're okay eating sea vegetables (some vegans eschew certain varieties based on how they are harvested), then agar agar should be fine to use.

If you can't find agave and prefer not to use honey, you could always use date puree as a sweetener. If you soak dates and add some of the soak water to the puree, you can get a liquid sweetener substitute. Some people also use maple syrup (although it's not raw) as a liquid sweetener, but I'm guessing that Cayman isn't covered in maple trees either. I've never tried using Stevia because here in Canada there are dates, honeys, maple syrups, and agave nectars aplenty. Other people might have suggestions for you as well.

I'm not familiar with Kuzu, so I can't help you there. I'm sure someone else will chime in, though. :)

[pinenut]

Agar agar, while it serves the same purpose as gelatin, is not an animal product. It is a natural vegetarian gelatin made from red algae. If you're okay eating sea vegetables (some vegans eschew certain varieties based on how they are harvested), then agar agar should be fine to use.



Thanks for the date idea, I actually just bought a big tub of them last night.

I'd use agar but I can't get it here. You'd think living on an island surrounded by hundreds of miles of sea that we'd have somthing like red algae and sea vegetables....but nooooo. :rolleyes:


So I need another substitue for gelatin...what would have the same consistency?

[lily]

What are you wanting to make with the agar? Sometimes people on this forum use psyllium husks to make a jelly-like consistency, but it only works with something thick, like a 'cheesecake'.

Kuzu -- those lumpy pieces of starchy root used in Japanese and macrobiotic cookery -- can be substituted with arrowroot powder or even cornflour, but none of these ingredients really figure normally in a raw diet. Again, Pinenut, what are you wanting to make with the kuzu? Maybe we can think of something that would work in a specific recipe.

lily

[dread_head]

Hello,
Stevia is vegan :p It's really sweet though i've used it some times.

[pinenut]

I'm in fact interested in making some various cheescakes and some other types of raw "baked goods": cookies, pie crusts, things like that. All the recipies I'm finding for such things call for agar and kuzu to be used as a thickener or as a jelling agent.

I can get psyllium husks here at the GNC, but would that work in those types of recipies?

I don't know if I can find arrowroot, but I can get corn starch. But I guess they wouldn't work if they are not raw. :(

[lily]

I don't touch kuzu, arrowroot or cornstarch now I'm raw. Agar I might possibly use, but it's not easy as it needs to be brought to boiling point, so don't think I'll bother with experimenting.

There are some delightful cheesecake recipes on this board which rely on the natural thickness of finely ground nuts and pureed fruits etc to make fantastic cheesecakes -- banana, for instance, 'sets' quite well when pureed with other fruits like ripe mango, once it's been chilled. I suggest you do a search for cheesecake.

Some people use psyllium satisfactorily to achieve a 'set' consistency. I haven't got round to this yet myself, but, again, if you search under psyllium you'll find all the info -- there were some postings on it quite recently.

Good luck!

lily

[pinenut]

thank you :)