THEacquafaba (or chickpea cooking water) is a very underestimated ingredient, often considered a food waste and therefore in most cases thrown away. Do you know instead that the acquafaba can be whipped by making tasty meringues for example?
THEcooking water for chickpeas it should never be wasted, it is in fact an ingredient that can be useful in the preparation of sweet and savory recipes. It is perfect for example for vegans who usually make dishes without animal derivatives or for those intolerant to eggs, the acquafaba is in fact a worthy vegetable substitute for this ingredient often present in common recipes.
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What is acquafaba
As already mentioned, acquafaba is simply the cooking water of chickpeas or government water, that is the one in which we find legumes immersed when we buy them ready-made canned, in glass or inside Tetra Pak packages. Not many people know that this "magic" water has a very interesting property: si monta! This is why there are those who use it as an alternative to whipped egg whites.
Among other things, it is a lighter ingredient than eggs that can be easily added to recipes that require the presence of these animal derivatives and also suitable for those who are allergic. The first to have experimented with it in pastry was the French chef Joel Roessel, a lover of vegan cuisine who makes light and fluffy desserts using whipped acquafaba.
Acquafaba, how to prepare it
First of all it is good to specify that it is advisable use the water from the ready-made chickpeas (better to choose the variants in glass and without salt) very rich in saponins and proteins, in fact it is difficult to reproduce the right concentration of these substances at home by cooking the legumes alone and therefore the risk of not being able to then becomes very high. intent to mount it.As an alternative to that of chickpeas, you can use the water from white, red or black beans.
The water of the legumes must be whipped with the help of electric whips just as you would do with the more traditional egg whites until a foamy consistency is obtained (usually it takes about 10 minutes). For best results use cold water and bowl (they can be put in the refrigerator beforehand). If you want to dampen the aftertaste of chickpeas a little, you can add a few drops of lemon juice.
In light snow: it must first be whipped by hand for 10 seconds and then for about 4 minutes with the electric whisk at a medium-low speed. In this way the consistency will be lighter.
His name is media: mounts at medium-high speed for about 10 minutes. The consistency at the end is more full-bodied and soft.
His name is a farm: it is whipped for at least 15 minutes (but even longer) at medium-high speed, adding 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar. In this way an even denser compound is obtained.
Acquafaba, how to use it
The whipped acquafaba is an excellent alternative ingredient to whipped egg whites, therefore perfect as a vegetable variant in all recipes that include eggs, especially those desserts that in the end must be well leavened and soft.
They are needed 3 tablespoons of acquafaba as an alternative to each egg. To obtain the best result, however, it is important that this is whipped just before adding it to the dough.
For other alternatives to eggs in recipes read also:
- HOW TO REPLACE EGGS IN SWEETS AND SAVORY RECIPES
Acquafaba lends itself well to the creation of various sweet but also savory recipes, in particular the preparation of vegan meringues based on only chickpea cooking water, lemon juice and sugar is known.
Acquafaba as it is does not have a particular flavor and therefore serves above all to improve the consistency of the different preparations, to make the doughs and softer and fluffier preparations. By enriching it with other ingredients, it can be useful for making chocolate mousses, creams of various kinds and ice creams, spoon desserts, cakes but also more particular sweets such as macarons and waffles.
It is also appreciated in the preparation of various types of vegan mayonnaise which can then be made in your city to taste with herbs, spices or other ingredients. Finally, a few tablespoons of acquafaba can be added to the omelette, omelette and quiche recipes (also in the vegan version) which will help to make it more fluffy and soft.
In summary, you can experiment with faba water in the preparation of:
- meringues
- creme
- mousse
- ice creams
- Nougat
- macarons
- marzipan
- marshmallow
- waffle
- muffin
- cakes
- sponge cake
but also in savory recipes such as:
- mayonnaise
- q
- sauces
- omelettes and omelettes
Have you ever tried to prepare acquafaba? In which recipes do you add chickpea water whipped until stiff and with what results?
