Until now, I had only heard of Agar agar being used excessively in Asian desserts and by vegans who don’t want to use gelatin.
Here’s a little surprise – we are all probably eating a lot more of this stuff than we know. If you’ve ever eaten a beautifully plated meal in a fancy restaurant where the sauce is drawn out in intricate patterns on the plate, chances are, it was either gelled with Agar Agar or a low-acyl gellan gum.
I have to confess here – I am was not a huge beet fan. Except for Beetroot Halwa (which I absolutely adore), I cannot imagine consuming beets in any savoury way. That all changed when I tried my hand at this Spicy Masala Beet Gel.
Restaurant quality results, doled straight from a domestic kitchen.
You first start with some gorgeous beetroot. I used about 2 medium sized ones, and they usually vary in sizes and juice content, so keep that in mind. Buy an extra, just in case. Wash, peel and chop them up.
Juice them real good,and unless you are using industrial quality juicers, you’ll need a little water to help move it along a lot easier. How gorgeous is this blood red juice??!!!
You cook the juice over low-medium heat just for a bit. The heat will help dissolve and ‘activate’ the gelling agent (Agar agar). I added a few spices to kick it up a notch, but that’s totally optional.
Cool the beet gel over an ice bath and refrigerate to speed things along until it is firmed up nicely.
Witness the gelling progress, ladies and gents. It is so much fun!
Only thing left to do, is blend the firm gel until you get a smooth, creamy gel pureé.
So how does it taste? Earthy beetroot gets an earthier masala kick and the gel just slides down your tongue like satin.
Thanks to Chef Steps whose videos inspire this and me to do more than what I think I can.
Notes:
You can buy Agar Agar and Xanthan Gum from Amazon.
Beetroot Masala Gel Ketchup
- Prep Time:30m
- Cook Time:10m
- Total Time:40m
- Serves: 6
- Yield: 2 cups
Ingredients
- 500 g of beet juice (from about 400gms of chopped beetroot)
- 1 c water (optional)
- Salt to taste (~5gms)
Gelling agents
- 5 g agar agar powder
- 1/2 g Xanthan gum
Optional spices
- 1 star anise
- 1/2 stick of cinnamon
- 2 dry red chillies
- 1/4 tsp. garam masala
Instructions
- Blend the chopped beetroot with a little water and filter the juice. Do not throw away the pulp, make beetroot pudding instead (recipe coming up next!).
- In a medium pan, over low-medium heat, cook the beet juice with spices (anise, cinnamon, chillies and garam masala) with until it comes to a simmer and smells a little less raw.
- In the meantime, mix together the Agar agar, Xanthan gum and salt.
- Raise heat to medium to let the beet juice come to a rolling boil, and whisk in the dry ingredients.
- As it is boiling, prepare an ice bath (bowl of ice with another small bowl sitting on the ice)
- Pour the hot beetroot juice through a sieve into a bowl set over an ice bath. Discard the whole spices caught in the sieve.
- Refrigerate and let it firm up completely.
- Blend the cool, firm jelly till pureéd completely. Strain over a sieve.
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Kanakapriya says
Hi! Awesome tips on using agar agar.. I came to this pure from that page.. Why xanthan gum? My son is undergoing chemo and very very fussy about food. I set coconut milk into jellies for him and now thanks to you I will make interesting this from the beets too.
Tina Dawson says
Xantham gum is a thickener, but I think you can omit it in this recipe without too much difference. I hope your son feels better Kanakapriya! My dad went through chemo, and I can only imagine how much more difficult it must be for a child. Sending you much love! If there’s anything I can help with (recipes), please let me know!
Peter @ Feed Your Soul Too says
So cool. Such a pretty plate.
Tina Dawson says
Thanks Peter!
Willow Moon says
I do not eat beets very often, but this looks like a perfect way to incorporate them into my diet. Plus, I love that it’s vegan! Pinning for later.
Tina Dawson says
Thanks so much Willow! Beets are very good for you, you must give it a try!
Tamara Andersen says
I’m in love with this! I have not heard of agar agar, but I adore anything made with beets, and I love to make my own condiments. 🙂 I’m pinning and sharing this one Tina!
Tina Dawson says
Tamara, agar agar is vegan gelatin. You’ll find it in all asian/indian grocery stores for super super cheap!
Jennifer @ Delicious Everyday says
What a gorgeous plate! I love beetroots but have never thought of making a gel with it. What a great idea!
Tina Dawson says
Thanks so much Jennifer! Do try it!
April Anderson says
I love beets, but I’m thinking I need to up my game – that plate is beautiful! I never thought about how restaurants are able to ?paint? the plates with sauces without it running everywhere – who knew it was so simple 🙂
Tina Dawson says
Thanks so much April! I too was so taken aback by how possible this was to make in a domestic kitchen!
Rose says
Hi it looks fantastic. How did you make the beet root plated like that on the plate? I often use a small sauce pan to “flatten” the sauce but never achieved the “tree looking” outcome. Any advice?
Tina Dawson says
That is exactly how I did that – I used a side plate to flatten a dollop of the sauce!