Agar-agar Kanten Recipe - Almond Pudding

Summer is always a good time in Australia. Sun, beaches, BBQ are always in the list. This time I will share with you some of my favourite recipe, it is Agar agar Almond Pudding. It is easy to prepare and yummy...

Ingredients:
1 pack of Swallow Globe Brand Agar agar powder
500 ml of water
400 ml of Milk
100 gr of Sugar
Almond essence as desired
Fresh fruits as desired

Syrup:
200 gr Sugar
1000 ml Water

Instruction:
1. Mix Swallow Globe Brand Agar agar powder with water, sugar and milk.
2. Boil and stir until it is fully dissolved. Turn off the flame.
3. Add almond essence into dough.
4. Pour into a mounld, let it cool and firm. Cut into size as desired.
5. Syrup: Mix sugar and water, boil. Turn off the flame and let it cool.
6. Mix Agar agar with fresh fruits and add syrup. Ready to serve and best serve chilled.

That's it. Easy and you can enjoy the yummy pudding now.

PS. I use Swallow Globe Brand Agar agar powder and it is available in most oriental shops or you
can buy it online at http://swallow-globe.com.au/eshop

What people do not know about Seaweed Dietary

Kanten or Agar agar, The Secret Healthy Dieting
By Jimmy Widjaja

KANTEN – A Japanese word for Agar-agar is an excellent source of fibre extracted from Red Algae (Seaweed). KANTEN is unique since it contains no calories and is very high in fibre. In fact, 80.9% of its content is fibre, which is the highest among all foods. Naturally, It also contains minerals, calcium, iron, and phosphorus which many diets are lacking these days.

Because of its high nutritional value, KANTEN has long been loved and consumed as a dessert and other cooking ingredients in Japan. Recently, KANTEN's natural jelling ability, mild flavor, and total lack of calories have made it a favorite with health-conscious cooks around the world.

Characteristic of KANTEN

1. KANTEN is highly unique because it has zero calories. The World Health Organisation categorized it as a "no limited" food.

2. Because KANTEN has neither a taste nor a smell, it can be used as an ingredient in combination with other seasonings.

3. KANTEN is a natural sea vegetable. It contains no carbohydrates, no sugar, and no fat. But contains 80.9% fibre which is the highest among all foods.

With its characteristics, KANTEN becomes the best dietary. The following are some of its benefit when it is consumed:

1. KANTEN increases in volume by absorbing water in the stomach which leads the satiated feeling quickly. Even a small amount of KANTEN will provide a longer feeling of fullness and comfort in stomach as it slow down glucose absorption in the intestine, therefore reducing the calorie intake. Because KANTEN contains a good balance of nutrition but no calories, it will benefit your beauty as well as health.

2. KANTEN Gel absorbs glucose in the stomach, The mixture of glucose and KANTEN enters the intestine with ease. The speed at which the glucose is absorbed into the bloodstream is slow and rapid rise in blood sugar level restrained. Therefore, this process inhibits the body from retaining and storing excess fat.

3. KANTEN’s rich dietary fiber shortens the time that the food passes through the digestive system. Because the time that harmful substances stay in the intestine is shortened, risks of intestinal problems will be lowered. In addition, the dietary fiber contained in KANTEN helps to retain water in the intestines softening stool for more rapid and easy bowel movement. This process effectively eliminates bowel irregularity.

4. KANTEN absorbs bile acid that is expelled from the body when cholesterol is dissolved. In order to replace the bile acid, cholesterol is dissolved continuously. This process will potentially decrease the amount of cholesterol in the body.

By consuming KANTEN regularly, It is not only improving and stabilize our digestive systems, but also potentially will reduce the cholesterol & blood sugar level and most important thing is, it provides natural way to loss weight.

Bean Curd Dessert

Hi Fibre Bean curd Dessert

Ingredients:
* Soy Milk 2 Liters
* Swallow Globe Kanten Kit 2 sachets

Cooking directions:
1. Mix all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a simmer
2. Stir until dissolved and simmer until boiled
3. Remove the saucepan from heat and let it cool
4. Pour into a bowl and let it cool, best to chill it in refrigerator
5. Prepare the Ginger sauce (see below cooking direction)

Preparing Ginger sauce
Ingredients:
* 250 grs of Palm sugar
* 4 Tea spoons of sugar
* Approx. 100 grams of Raw ginger
* 250 mL of water
* Salt as required

Cooking directions:
1. Mix all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a simmer
2. Stir until dissolved and simmer until boiled
3. Remove the saucepan from heat and let it cool

Preparing the Hi Fibre Bean curd dessert:
1. Spoon some Bean curd over individual dessert bowl
2. Pour the ginger sauce as needed and serve

Swallow Globe Product is available at

* Swallow Globe Online Store:
http://swallow-globe.com.au/eshop

* Vplus Supermarket:
Campsie Centre - Campsie
Westfield Shopping Centre – Liverpool
Metro Shopping Centre – Marrickville
Gosford Town Centre - Gosford

Recipe Sharing

Delicate little agar-agar jellies are perfect served with Asian fruits

by Lois Daish

Janny Brown was surprised when I asked if I could visit her and learn how to make the delicate little jellies that she serves at the conclusion of the feasts of Singaporean food that she and her husband Dan are famous for among their friends. She didn’t think anyone could possibly need to be taught how to make something as easy as agar-agar jelly and offered to simply write down the recipe for me. But I had a hunch that there would be some tricks to learn. Read more click here...

Feature Articles - June 2008

Kanten Craze in Japan
by Yukari Pratt

It may be one of the more unlikely food crazes of recent times, but agar-agar (the flavorless, seaweed-based thickener used in soups and jellies) is hip — at least in Japan, where it is known as kanten. The reason? Read more click here...

Recipe Sharing

Mixed Berry Jelly with White Chocolate Sauce

By Alice

One of my favourite ingredients is agar, also known as kanten, an excellent vegetarian substitute for gelatine. This natural gelling agent is obtained from algae or seaweeds (but it doesn’t taste as such, which is certainly a plus!) and can be used instead of ordinary gelatine of animal origin. I use a lot of agar: to thicken soups and sauces, and to make puddings, jellies, and other desserts like pannacotta. Read more click here...

Features Articles - April 2008

How Kanten Seaweed Can Help You Lose Weight

By Eyeopening’s Xombytes

If you're looking for help losing weight, you may have to look no further than across the seas to our slender neighbors in Japan who use kanten to promote fullness and suppress appetite. Women who consume kanten for weight loss on a daily basis reportedly consume up to fifty percent fewer calories on a daily basis than women who don't. It seems that this Japanese weight loss secret is out of the bag as more and more American women add Kanten seaweed to their daily diet.

What is kanten? Kanten is a rather tasteless dried seaweed that's high in fiber with zero calories. It's also known as agar-agar by the food industry where it's used as a thickening agent. It comes in the form of a tasteless powder which can be mixed with a variety of food and drinks. So popular is the Kanten seaweed craze that well known chefs are starting to design culinary creations around this high fiber, white powder.

The high fiber content of Kanten seaweed seems to be at least partially responsible for its ability to suppress appetite. When small amounts of the powder are consumed in juice or other liquid, it expands in the gut resulting in a natural sense of fullness. It also purportedly has other health benefits related to its fiber content including the potential to lower blood cholesterol levels. An additional advantage is that this powder can reduce constipation and is high in a variety of minerals including calcium.

Kanten seaweed is inexpensive and can be purchased in most natural food markets. You may need to ask for it by the name of agar-agar. It's recommended that seven ounces of kanten be mixed with juice and taken before meals to help reduce appetite. It's important to take kanten with plenty of liquid to maximize the appetite suppressant effect.

Some other ways to use kanten for weight loss are to add a half teaspoon to your favorite iced or hot tea. Green or oolong tea would be good choices if weight loss is your goal due to their apparent metabolism boosting effects. The powder can also be added to soups, milk, gratins, and juices. The powder will take on the taste of whatever it's added to and does not leave an aftertaste. You can also find a variety of kanten recipes by doing a Google search.

If you're trying to lose those last few pounds, give this Japanese weight loss secret a try. It's an all natural solution to suppressing appetite and helping to promote good bowel function. Kanten for weight loss may be the additional boost you need to jump start your weight loss efforts.