Sea vegetables are commonly know as seaweeds. They have been a common food in China and Japan. The most familiar seaweed to Westerners are nori, used to make sushi and agar-agar, used as a thickener. I used agar-agar to make a healthier version of Jell-O whenever my daughter asked for it when she was little.
Other seaweeds are arame, dulse,hijiki, kombu, and wakame.
Sea vegetables are rich in minerals, especially calcium, iron, and iodine. They are also a source for vitamin B12, a nutrient lacking in vegan diets.
Agar
Agar is a sea vegetable and is used to make aspics or gels. I remember my mom using it to make Chinese jello during the hot summer days as a cold treat. She made agar sweetened with rock sugar that she chilled in the fridge.
Agar comes in flakes, bars, and powers. It is a good alternative to using corn starch as a thickener in pies. I usually use agar as my thickener when I make pies, but I use kudzu as my thickener when I make gravies.
Agar is abundant in fiber-more than bran! It is also full of vitamin A, B1, B6, B12, Biotin, C, D, and K. It also aids in colon action.
The ratio of agar to liquid is one table spoon of agar per cup of liquid.
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