Aquafaba has increasingly become a popular egg-replacer in baking recipes ever since more and more people have moved to a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle. Whenever you're scrolling through videos of plant-based recipes online, you will often come across this ingredient. It's nothing extraordinary to find or complicated to DIY at home - it's the starchy liquid that you can find in a can of chickpeas. All you have to do is incorporate air into the liquid by making it frothy and pale, so it resembles egg whites, then add it to your recipe. You will most certainly get similar, if not the same, results in any classic baked goods recipe. It has most of the binding, gelatinising, thickening, and emulsifying properties that one seeks from eggs. About 2 tablespoons of egg whites can replace an egg white, and 3 tablespoons for a whole egg. For us Indians, however, using canned chickpeas is rather uncommon. Dry chickpeas, soaked and plumped overnight, are more popularly used because they are not just easy to come by but also budget-friendly. It may have a slight chickpea aroma to it, but you can mask it by using vanilla extract or any liqueur. Else, you will come around to its distinctness with time. So, here's how you can make aquafaba at home.
Homemade Aquafaba
Ingredients:
- 400 gm chickpeas
- 1.8 ltr water for cooking
Instructions:
- Soak 400 grams (about 2 whole cups) of chickpeas in just enough water so they are completely covered.
- You should add a few more inches of water so they remain immersed in the water as they expand in size.
- The next day, drain this water and place them in a large pot or pressure cooker with about 1.8 liters of water. If you’re cooking in a pot, it will take about 1 to 2 hours for the chickpeas to soften. In a pressure cooker, you can cut down the cooking time by giving the chickpeas 2 whistles on high flame, then reduce the heat and let it stay on the stove for 30 to 40 minutes.
- Once the pressure from the cooker has escaped, then you can wait for the chickpeas to cool down a bit before draining them and reserving the water.
- Put the water back into a pot and let it simmer for about 30 to 40 minutes. It should take on a yellow, viscous look.
- Let the chickpea water cool down further before using it in any of the below recipes.
Vegan Chocolate Mousse
Ingredients:
- 180 ml aquafaba
- ½ tsp cream of tartar
- 140 gm dark chocolate of your liking (can be vegan too)
- 2 tsp room temperature coconut oil
- 2 tbsp caster sugar
- Chocolate shavings for garnish
Instructions:
- Chop the dark chocolate into shards and then add it to a microwave-safe bowl along with 2 teaspoon coconut oil.
- Melt the chocolate in intervals of 30 seconds, and give it a mix with every round. You will ultimately get a smooth and glossy sauce. Set it aside to cool. Don’t refrigerate.
- Take 180 ml of aquafaba in a clean, large bowl and whip until you get stiff peaks. Then add the cream of tartar to stabilize the peaks and prevent them from falling flat.
- Then slowly incorporate the caster sugar, while whisking vigorously.
- Follow this up by folding half of the melted chocolate. Use a spatula for this step. Once the chocolate is well-mixed, add the rest of it too.
- Divide the mousse into serving bowls and refrigerate. Garnish with chocolate shavings or some chopped fruit.
Carrot Cake
Ingredients:
- 150 ml neutral oil
- 220 ml aquafaba
- 225 gm light brown sugar
- 200 gm grated carrots
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp allspice
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 75 g coarsely chopped walnuts
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a round cake tin with parchment paper, ensuring that it covers the sides.
- Then whisk the oil, aquafaba, all the spices, and sugar together until the mixture is thick.
- Sift the flour and baking powder first, then fold it into the liquid mix.
- Next add the grated carrots, you should squeeze out any excess liquid from them, along with chopped walnuts to the cake batter.
- Transfer the cake batter into the prepared cake tin and bake for 35 to 40 minutes.
- Once that’s done, let the cake come down to room temperature and flip it onto a serving plate.
- Create a simple sugar glaze or dust with some powdered sugar before enjoying it with a cup of tea or coffee.
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients:
- 180 gm flour (use any type you like)
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 80 to 100 gm chocolate chips
- 4 tbsp aquafaba
- 80 ml olive oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 150 g coconut sugar
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 176°C, and prepare your baking tray by lining it with parchment paper.
- Mix all of the ingredients in a good processor first, then incorporate the chocolate chips. You can use as much chocolate chips as you’d like.
- Then scoop out the dough using a tablespoon or an ice cream scoop, and place the cookies onto the baking tray.
- Refrigerate the cookies for half an hour before popping them in the oven for 12 to 13 minutes.
- Cool on a wire rack, before enjoying them.