Agar Agar from Ireland October 16 2012

One of our good friends returned from Ireland and brought us these gorgeous purple seaweed they harvested on the shore in Ireland!  They mentioned that they like to boil it down in water and use the gelatin in salad dressings.  Is this Agar Agar from Ireland then!?

Agar Agar is a type of seaweed, when boiled down it turns into gelatin, which is what many Asian desserts are made with.  Most jellos we see in the market used animal Collagen to bind, whereas most Asian countries use Agar Agar for binding.  Since Agar Agar is a type of seaweed, many vegan and vegetarians turn to this as a solution in their cooking.

Thai and Vietnamese, for example, make all types of colorful and delicious jellos and jelly desserts using Agar Agar.  If you can't get Agar Agar in seaweed form, there is the powder you can buy at some Asian grocery stores, or regular grocery stores.  If they don't carry them there, they are usually at the health food markets.  Whether it's Agar Agar in form of seaweed or powdered, I've only seen the clear kind.  Never have I seen the red/purple one like many articles mentioned.  That being said, I'm so excited to use these beautiful purple ones!!  I'll let you know what I made with them later on.  :)