About the Recipe
Kanten (which you might know as agar agar) is a seaweed product that is used as a gelling agent. Being animal product free, it can be used for vegetarian and vegan cooking. Kanten desserts are very popular in Japan - the kanten produces a firmer, slightly more grainy jelly than gelatin. Here, I use it to create a healthy berry fruit dessert with some vanilla icecream.
Ingredients
100g strawberries
70g red grapes
50g blueberries
1 tsp kanten powder
2 tbsp sugar
200ml water
0.5 tsp kanten powder
50ml water
50ml cranberry juice
0.5 tbsp sugar
1 pyrex or tupperware with at least 700ml capacity
Preparation
wash all the fruit
remove the head of the strawberries and cut into quarters
place the strawberries, grapes & blueberries into your pyrex or tupperware
put 200ml water & 1 tsp kanten powder in a pan, bring to the boil over a medium heat while stirring, then add the sugar and stir for another 30 seconds
set aside until the mixture firms
put 50ml water, 50ml cranberry juice & 0.5 tsp kanten powder in a pan
bring to the boil while stirring over a medium heat, then add 0.5tbsp sugar and stir for another 30 secs
rest the liquid for 3 mins before pouring over the first kanten layer
when cooled, refridgerate until set (1 - 2 hours)
when ready, remove your kanten from the fridge, loosen the sides of the pyrex.tupperware with a knife, then invert onto a plate
your berry fruit kanten is now ready to serve