In cooking, agar is extremely useful. In parts of Asia, agar is used as an ingredient in soups and jellies. Outside of Asia, agar appears in a wide range of foods, along with two other plant based gelatins, carrageen and alginate. In foods which need to be gelled, agar is often employed. It does behave slightly differently than protein based gelatins, and tends to be slightly more slimy, sometimes creating a strange texture. For vegetarians, agar makes foods like marshmallows, jelly beans, and gummy bears possible.
Many grocery stores sell agar which is suitable for human consumption, often in the same area which holds vegetarian alternatives.
Agar-agar contains more dietary fibers than 80% compared with any other foods. It is an excellent gelling thickener agent as well as a natural source of vegetarian dietary fiber

Chocolate Agar Agar

Ingredients:
1 (7g) packet agar agar powder, 100g sugar, 500ml water, 2 tablespoons cocoa powder dissolved in 250ml hot water, 250ml evaporated milk
Method:
1, In a medium saucepan, mix the agar agar and sugar with 500ml water. Put on the stove and bring to a gentle boil over low heat, stirring constantly.
2, Gradually add the cocoa powder mixture followed by the evaporated milk. Mix until well blended and be careful not to let the milk curdle. When the mixture is boiling, remove from the heat and strain into rinsed jelly moulds.
3, Cool before chilling in the refrigerator to set completely, at least 4 hours. Cut and serve as is or with custard and fruit cocktail.

Soya Bean Milk Pudding

Ingredients:
100 ml water and some screwpine
500 ml fresh soya milk (unsweetened. If sweetened, then reduce the required sugar)
60 gms sugar
10g agar agar strips(cut into half, soak in water for a couple of mins)

Method:
Boil screwpine with water for a few mins until 50 ml left.
Discard screwpine.
Under low heat, add agar agar, soya bean milk into the screwpine water. Add sugar slowly and adjust to taste. Stir until agar agar dissolved and mixture boiled.
Off the heat and stir continuously for 5 mins to cool it down.
Strain into a wet pudding mold. Chill in fridge for 1-2 hrs.

Agar Agar Jelly

Ingredients:
1 1/2 tablespoons agar-agar (powder or flakes)
1/2 cup hot water
2 cups fruit juice
1 -3 cup of diced fruit (drained, with the juice contributing to the 2 cups being used)
Method:
Put the cubed fruit into some small moulds. Little plastic wine tasting cups are a good size for little children.
2 Alternatively, one large jelly can be made.
3 Put the agar agar into a pan with the hot water, bring to the boil & simmer rapidly for 3 minutes, stirring constantly.
4 Pour the agar agar into the fruit juice & mix. Pour over the cubed fruit in the moulds & refrigeratee until set.

Mango Pineapple Agar-agar

Ingredients:
(A):
300g Vepine pineapple juice
200g ripe mango flesh, liquidised
100ml wate
Mix these ingredients:
2 tbsp agar-agar powder
150g castor sugar
1/2 tsp lemon yellow colouring

(B):
150ml water
125g sugar
1 1/2 tbsp agar-agar powder
300ml pati santan
•  1/4 tsp salt
Method:
Blend mango in a blender with 1/4 cup water. Cook (a) until it boils then add in agar-agar powder and sugar. Stir constantly. When sugar dissolves, remove from heat and add colouring.
Pour mixture into a wet mould and leave to set.
Dissolve agar-agar powder and sugar in water. Bring to the boil, add in santan and cook over medium low flame until it comes to almost a boil. Switch off fire and leave aside for a while.
Slowly pour santan mixture over the set mango portion. Allow to cool then set in the refrigerator.
Unmould onto a serving dish and serve thoroughly chilled.

Agar Salad:

Ingredients:
1-2 bowls of mixed variety salad vegetables
3/4 c. walnuts
2 c. ripe tomatoes
2 c. tomato juice
1/2 teaspoon of Agar-Agar powder
Cookie cutters
Salt, olive oil and vinegar
Method:
Wash, clean and crush the tomatoes
Boil the tomato juice, add Agar-Agar powder and stir for 2 minutes
Remove from heat and pour into a pan to allow to cold
Once cold, use cookie cutters to make tomato shapes
Wash the mixed vegetables, place in a bowl and add the walnuts and the tomato-agar shapes
Add oil, vinegar, salt and ready to serve

Agar Soup:

Ingredients:
1g of Agar-Agar powder
500g frozen peas
300ml water for peas
300ml water for Agar-Agar
100ml olive oil
Method:
Thaw the peas and puree in the blender with 300ml water
Sieve the mixture to remove any remaining skins
Heat the remaining 100ml water to boiling and add the Agar-Agar powder
Continue to boil for 1 minute until completely dissolved
Remove from heat and let it cool until lukewarm (do not allow it to set)
Pour the water with dissolved Agar-Agar into the pea mixture, stir thoroughly
Add salt and olive oil according to taste preference