Vegan Matcha
Panna Cotta
Traditionally, panna cotta is an Italian dessert consisting of heavy cream that is thickened with gelatin and chilled in a mold. The dessert is commonly flavored with fruit, coffee, vanilla, or other ingredients. Instead of gelatin, this matcha panna cotta uses agar agar, a vegan gelatin alternative derived from red algae. The end result is refreshing, creamy, and is fancy enough to serve at your next dinner party and fool your guests into thinking it's a ridiculously complex dessert!
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Makes 4 servings
Prep time: 15 min
Chill time: 2 hrs
What you’ll need
For the panna cotta
2 cups original soy milk (the one I used contained some sugar)
1 tbsp matcha powder (less or more, depending on how strong you want the matcha)
1 tbsp sugar (again less or more, depending on how sweet you like it)
1 tsp agar agar powder
Strawberry syrup and garnish
1/4 cup white sugar
Handful of strawberries
Fresh mint leaves to garnish
The how
In a small pot, combine the soy milk, sugar, and matcha powder. Bring to a boil, whisking to dissolve the matcha.
When matcha milk is boiling, skim the foam off of the top. Add the agar agar, and mix. Boil for at least 3 minutes—the agar needs to be held at at least 185 F for three minutes to properly gel.
Skim off any remaining foam. Pour mixture into molds, and chill in fridge for at least 1.5 hours.
Strawberry syrup: Combine handful of strawberries (reserve at least 1 strawberry per panna cotta for plating garnish), 1.5 cups water, and sugar in a pot. Bring to a boil and simmer until the syrup is to your desired consistency. Remove strawberries from pot and set aside (or eat with some ice cream). Chill the syrup if you prefer it to be served cold.
Plating recommendation: Pour some strawberry syrup in the center of the plate. Remove the panna cotta from the molds and place a panna cotta in the center of plate on top of the syrup. Halve the strawberries, leaving the stems intact. Slice the halves vertically and fan out the strawberry. Place two on each plate adjacent to the panna cotta. Top with a sprig of mint.
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