Last week I made one very expensive purchase: Agar agar. I must admit this ingredient was relatively new to me. Instead of researching it further, I simply used one of the supermarkets apps to see if they had it in stock. Following a positive confirmation I just drove there and bought it. To my surprise it costed $20!!! I was still coming to terms with such purchase when my mother-in-law mentioned the fact that she had some unused Agar agar. And then I felt flat on the couch when she mentioned buying it for $3 only!!! “But where?,” I asked. “The local Asian shop,” she replied. 

Since then I’ve received some similar feedback following my Lemon Tart post. But I still don’t understand why the difference between the big supermarkets and the local shop. I’ve even done a comparison of the two products and they are exactly the same. Should complain to Consumer Affairs about this flagrant discrepancy?
Now that I’ve got it I have to make do. And as this week is kind of a vegan week for me I thought I would try another dessert that uses Agar agar. I had a few option but thought that a panna cotta would be the ideal dessert for a number of reason. First I haven’t had one for ages and it is always a favourite at home. And most importantly I wanted to see the full potential of Agar agar and panna cotta is just the perfect dessert for that. 

In my time watching Master Chef Australia and or My Kitchen Rules, there was always this obsession with making sure that the end dessert “jiggle”. In fact, it is seldom argued that a perfect panna cotta “comes down to three factors: the jiggle, the cream and the sweetness.” I wanted to test the “jiggle” part of that statement. Moreover, during that vegan week of mine, I’ve learnt more about the make-up of Agar agar and its benefits.
Did you know that is derived from a red algae that has been popular across Asia for centuries? And little did I know that it could also be used as a laxative, to thicken soups, sauces or preserves. But the compelling and appealing part of this particular ingredient is that it is a good source of calcium and iron, and is very high in fibre. It also have the benefit of containing no sugar, no fat and no carbohydrates. It is known for its ability to aid in digestion and weight loss. Considering that I am trying to start a new diet and that I now know I can get this for $3 only I couldn’t be happier.
Since the Cook with us vegan week contest I’ve been following a few vegan bloggers and came across this beautiful recipe from Elephantastic Vegan. She seems to have developed a passion in veganizing a lot of the food that she previously enjoyed eating as a non-vegan. I must admit that having tried her version of this panna cotta I couldn’t agree more. Taste wise there is no difference with a non-vegan panna cotta and the dessert have got the benefit of added benefit of being slightly healthier. As usual I’ve tried to adapt the recipe to the ingredients I had within grasps. And instead of the blueberries I’ve used Blackberries and I’ve also added raspberries and pineapple. And just for information out of the three panna cotta I’ve made, my husband and I hardly managed to finish ours as our little one just ate it all and kept asking for more!!! To me that’s a real testament of how good this recipe is.

Ingredients  

• 355ml full-fat coconut milk
• 1 teaspoon agar powder
• 1/4 cup white sugar 
• 1/2 cup frozen blackberries (raspberries and pineapple)
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup

Instructions  

1. In a pot, heat the coconut milk, the agar powder, and the white sugar. Bring it a boil, then reduce the heat. Let it simmer for about 2-3 minutes after that.










2. Pour it into your dishes and let it cool off before placing it in the fridge for at least 4 hours. 





3. To make the berries topping, heat the berries in a small pot and add in the maple syrup. Let it cook for about 5 minutes until soft and saucy. 










4. Top the Coconut Panna Cotta with the berries topping before serving and enjoy!