What is kanten and how it is prepared

You too - like me - have read Krapfen and have you searched for the recipe? Here's the truth: it's not a typo. Let's talk about Kanten and not Krapfen. No creams or frying, but healthy and cheerful food, with fruit and many colors .

Do you know the jellies that are popular in the United States? Here, with kanten something similar is prepared, but completely natural, vegan and also good for health . Discover with me what the Kanten is and how it is prepared.

What is Kanten

Known in Japanese cuisine for some hundred years, it is now timidly introduced in our recipes by the few who know it well: it is the agar-agar, called Kanten from its Japanese name which means "drought" .

The "Kanten" is extracted from various types of red algae, especially Gracilaria and Gelidium . Before being used for food, kanten was introduced into Europe (towards the end of the 1800s) as a breeding ground for bacterial colonies in microbiology laboratories.

The main characteristic of the "kanten" is that of being insoluble in cold and melting only in boiling water . It forms a gel with peculiar properties, that is a thermoreversible gel that melts if it is heated (around 90 degrees) and solidifies if cooled.

The agar has no taste and does not interfere with the taste of food . Furthermore, our digestive system can absorb only 10% of it, so its caloric intake is nutritional is almost irrelevant, similar to that of vegetable fibers and could have a mild laxative effect .

It is suitable for vegetarians and vegans, who do not use isinglass gelatine.

Agar is considered a food additive, present among the food ingredients with the code E406. The joint FAO / WHO (World Health Organization) committee on food additives in its report on agar, did not consider it necessary to set limits to the ADI, the Admissible Daily Dose considering its use safe .

How to prepare Kanten

Kanten are also called gelatine desserts made with agar-agar and various ingredirnti, including fresh fruit, vanilla, cocoa, honey.

Agar agar, which does not alter natural flavors, is easy to prepare : it should be placed, in the proportions suggested on the package - usually between 0.5 and 2% of the total weight - in a cold liquid, stirring vigorously to facilitate the dispersion, then cook it briefly so that it melts perfectly, after which to solidify it will be enough to let it rest for an hour at room temperature.

The ease of use also provides for an easy "repair of errors": if the result is too thick or on the contrary too liquid, the operation can be repeated: it is possible to dissolve the agar agar again by boiling it and correcting the quantities, until the desired consistency is obtained.

The use of the agar is less recommended for those foods that are altered at high boiling temperatures (for example fruit juices): in those cases it is recommended to dissolve the agar first in a little boiling water, and then add the solution to the liquid to be gelified heated to about 40 ° C.

Here is a quick recipe of Kanten with berries :

Ingredients

> 1 liter of apple juice

> 2 tablespoons of powdered agar-agar

> 1 pinch of salt

> 300 g of berries

> 3 tablespoons of rice malt

Preparation

First dissolve the agar in a little water to boil, and then add the solution to the liquid mixture with apple juice, salt and malt heated to about 40 ° C; mix for a few minutes and add the fruit already washed and washed. Extinguish the fire. Pour directly into individual cups or into an oven dish and leave to cool. Once cold, leave in the fridge for at least an hour before serving, garnishing with pieces of fresh fruit.