Gelatin free Marshmallows in Singapore?

[judyp]

We're having a BBQ next week.

The logical ending for the kids is of course, smores.

However I have a guest with two kids who are strict vegetarians. It will be sad if they can't join in the fun.

Any idea where I can find gelatin free Marshmallows in Singapore?

I will be experimenting with an agar agar recipe tomorrow, but I'm hoping I can buy some .

Thanks.

[lucassmith]

I dont think theres any ready-made gelatin free marshmallows for sale in sg.

However my aunt used to experiment with agar agar, irish moss and guar gum if im not wrong, for gummies. You can get such ingredients easily at any supermaket.

[judyp]

Thank You.

I did try a recipe with agar agar today, which is for the moment looking good. I need to wait awhile and see if the taste matches! I did try a bit before it set,and found it slightly weird/woody but if the consistency turns out well I could possibly overcome that with a little essence.

I must admit, I have never heard of Irish moss. I will have to do a bit of research.

[JR8]

Just in case... I came up with these.
The writer of the first one says he tried several recipes none of which worked or worked very well. But this one succeeded by using agar-agar, and also substituting the protein element of gelatine via using egg white. http://afoodieineurope.blogspot.com.tr/ ... ecipe.html

Another gelatin-free recipe that came up that I read, that looked persuasive:
http://www.treehugger.com/easy-vegetari ... llows.html
Where the writer has left the recipe as 'open source' (i.e. like Wikipedia) so readers can tweak and fine-tune it [a nice idea!]. The link from the description, to the recipe itself is near the foot of this short article... http://www.treehugger.com/easy-vegetari ... llows.html

p.s. I'd be interested to know how you get on as I've faced this 'no gelatine' hurdle in other recipes.

[judyp]

I followed the link you posted and the recipe it finally linked to, is coincidentally the same one I tried yesterday.
http://bemiam.com/2013/11/01/homemade-m ... agar-agar/

I liked that it used ingredients readily available in a regular kitchen, no additives. (I used agar agar available here, but didn't realise it had a color. Next time I will use the colourless agar agar)

Followed it exactly, except for the temp. I could not get the temp to rise beyond 110. Probably, my pan was too small... kept rising to the brim. I did use the regular "one-string" method, (8-9 minutes) and the texture is perfect to the touch.

Today I will cut and coat with sugar and then try and roast one. The kids will do a taste test for me today. Will update some time on the weekend.

[judyp]

JR8,
The marshmallows turned out well, a bit sweet for my taste. Also, the texture, though light and airy, does not have the initial mouth-feel that a true marshmallow does. I roasted some to see if they would hold up under high heat and they did.
I will change the ratios and make one more attempt. I have pics, but it's probably not ok to post them here.
It's a good recipe, for those who will not eat gelatine. But, nothing can beat a true marshmallow.

[JR8]

Ah good stuff!
Sometimes when I'm trying something almost 'experimental', especially if I'm having to sub ingredients, the first go is something I really consider a trial-run. If it works at all and I can eat it then I'll consider how to improve it for next time. That usually ends with notes written on the recipe, 'Next time try B grams of C and not A gram's; 'cook for xMins and not yMins and so on'.
I probably started doing this with Asian family recipes where it's more about 'feel' than being dictated to with precision. But I find the open-mindedness useful now when tackling some of the more challenging and/or new Western recipes too.

(And sure you can post pix here, though I think it's appreciated if you try and shrink them down a bit (no problem either way, just saying) so as not to kill the reader's bandwidth.)

[judyp]

The kids tried these and said that they were beautifully "melt-in-the-mouth", but would like them a little less sweet.
So I am planning to increase the egg-white and possibly the agar-agar a bit, to get a slight chewy feel ... the mouth-feel we are all used to in the store-bought stuff. Sad!

Here are the pics. I will post again, if the second trial is significantly better.


15 hours later, I was able to cut pieces easily.

Cut and covered in icing sugar.

Roasted for a few secs just to see if they would hold their shape. And they did.

[JR8]

They look great, well done!

[lucassmith]

They look good!

[judyp]

I tried once more with a lot of tweaks .. quantities, ingredients and methods. Looks much better, tastes better. I will cut them tomorrow and let you know how they turn out. I feel that they are much improved. Only time (15 hours drying time) will tell.
Patience is NOT one of my virtues!

[judyp]

Have to report FAIL on all counts!!!
I increased the egg, water, agar agar, since i thought this would address the issues i was having, ie too sweet, crystallizing too fast, too soft.
Pretty much a disaster. But they taste really good! At least the sugar content seems right now.

I think I also need to be aware of the weather on the day I am making them.