Agar Agar, Telephone, 0.88 oz

Agar agar (woon in Thai) is a type of gelatin used in Asian dessert making. Made from seaweed, it is a healthy vegetarian alternative to geletin. Regrigeration is not needed because agar agar sets at room temperature, making it perfect for the tropics. White and semi-translucent, it is used to make jellies, puddings and custards. To make jelly, boil in water to dissolve. Add sweetener, flavouring, coloring, fruit or vegetables and pour into molds. It can also be a jelly layer on a cake. The word agar comes from the Malay word for jelly. The texture when set is firmer and somewhat crunchy compared to geletin. It Thailand woon is colored every color of the rainbow, making the dessert vendors cart a vivid display in the open marketplace.

Also see Custard Agar and Almond Agar dessert mix.