Where can i find kanten

The waters surrounding Japan are abundant with sea vegetation. Indeed, all manner of marine plants have historically been an important source of food for people across the archipelago.

Some sea vegetables require little in the way of processing — just rinsing and drying after harvesting — while others are rendered deliciously edible only after considerable effort. Kanten agar gelatin is certainly one of the more ingeniously crafted foodstuffs sourced from the ocean.

Tokoroten agar noodles are a traditional cooling summer food that can be made sweet or savory depending on the garnishes. As the story goes, he salvaged some tokoroten lying in the snow, no doubt discarded leftovers from some wintertime feast. The tokoroten had been subjected to sub-zero temperatures at night, but sunny and cold daytime conditions for several days caused it to freeze-dry naturally.

Known as agar-agar in most English-speaking countries, unlike its perishable tokoroten predecessor, kanten is shelf-stable. In the old days, before refrigeration or swift transportation, people relied on kanbutsu — preserved and dried rather than perishable foodstuffs — for daily nourishment.

Introduced as a grab-on-the-go boost to nutrition, most are packed with vitamins and minerals check labels before buying. These juices are perfect for quick-crafting colorful, healthy desserts.

Some of my favorites are mixed berries, mango-apple and tomato-veggie combos. For more information, visit tasteofculture. In a saucepan, add a sachet of this kanten powder and ml of water.

Simmer for two minutes or until the kanten dissolves. If the water starts to bubble, lower the heat. If desired, add your preferred flavor such as sugar, fruit juices, matcha, or milk. Pour the mixture into a mold or container. You can also add an embellishment, such as edible flowers. Leave to cool before placing in the fridge for hours to cool and harden.

You can also use it for chilled dishes such as umeboshi plum jelly and mizu yokan, a red bean jelly dessert. This was my first attempt at making gummies with Kanten! I did not check the site for directions in English. So it was trial and error! I won! Will use again and I will refer to others.