Poached Aloe

May 20, 2009 · 107 comments

Poached Aloe Vera with Yogurt

We’ve all heard of the miraculous feats that Aloe Vera performs on injured or sunburned skin, but did you know that Aloe is also edible?

While you only really see it being sold as a juice in healthfood stores here, in Japan, it’s quite common to see it added to beverages and yogurt. It’s one of my favourite things with yogurt (up there with passionfruit), and I love the slightly green taste and the quivery cubes of aloe that have the texture of resilient grapes.

Realizing that I may be waiting a long while for Dannon to start offering little cups with aloe on the bottom here in the States, I decided to take matters into my own hands. I’d seen aloe being sold at Essex Market before, so I made the trip out and picked up two long spears of aloe at the produce place. If you don’t have aloe growing in your back yard, you can probably find it at a Latin American grocery store.

Aloe Vera Peeled and Chopped

Because some people are funny about textures, I should warn you that raw aloe is extremely slimy. Think okra x10. Cooking it reduces the slime factor considerably, but it does still have a viscous slippery feel to it.

Cooking the aloe will give off a ton of liquid and the cubes will shrink and soften without loosing their shape. On a bowl of plain yogurt with a bit of lime zest, poached aloe makes for a light refreshing breakfast and a great way to start the morning.

Poached Aloe Recipe
2 large aloe leaves peeled and cubed (about 1 lbs)
1 C sugar
Juice of 1 lime

Because the aloe is very slippery it is hard to peel, but it’s important that you get all the fiberous green peel off the aloe as it is tough and bitter. Chop the aloe into small cubes and add to a small saucepan along with the sugar and lime juice.

Cook the aloe over medium low heat until the liquid is no longer slimy and the cubes have the texture of resilient grapes. Allow to cool and serve over plain yogurt.

http://www.candypenny.blogspot.com marie
I secretly love aloe! I’ll have to try this poached version..
http://www.monkeeboo.com/ monkeeboo
I somehow ended up on your site while looking for yogurt recipes. Anywho, I just tried poaching the aloe vera fresh from the garden. It is INSANELY slimey, but after 10 minutes that goes away! I just tried it on some homemade yogurt and it is fabulous! Thank you!
http://www.monkeeboo.com monkeeboo
I somehow ended up on your site while looking for yogurt recipes. Anywho, I just tried poaching the aloe vera fresh from the garden. It is INSANELY slimey, but after 10 minutes that goes away! I just tried it on some homemade yogurt and it is fabulous! Thank you!
theresa
ITS ALWAYS TASTE GOOD WHEN I THROW IN FRESH ALOE TO MY SALAD.
theresa
ITS ALWAYS TASTE GOOD WHEN I THROW IN FRESH ALOE TO MY SALAD.
http://www.betterwithbutter.com/ Jada
Thanks for this! Just picked up a huge aloe frond and there are very few recipes on the web.
http://www.betterwithbutter.com Jada
Thanks for this! Just picked up a huge aloe frond and there are very few recipes on the web.
Darren
Just picked a large frond off the plant outside and cooled it in the fridge. Peeled the skin off, and ate mouthfuls of the jelly inside. The gel coats your skin, and left a lining in my throat. Resists being washed off my hands. Very little taste – slightly “green”.
I’ve always used it for burns and sensitive wounds.
I think it would work great for a sore throat, particularly with manuka honey.
Darren
Just picked a large frond off the plant outside and cooled it in the fridge. Peeled the skin off, and ate mouthfuls of the jelly inside. The gel coats your skin, and left a lining in my throat. Resists being washed off my hands. Very little taste – slightly “green”.
I’ve always used it for burns and sensitive wounds.
I think it would work great for a sore throat, particularly with manuka honey.
urbanappetizer
But isn't Fresh aloe vera bitter?? I tried cutting a few cubes and boiled it with sugar and it was still bitter!! Is it possible to get rid of the bitterness?? Thanks.
norecipes
The skin is very bitter. you have to peel it off before you cook it.
Once peeled you should have a clear gelatinous material which
shouldn't be bitter if you have an edible variety of aloe. Hope that
helps.
- Carl Schenkenberger
  We bought some edible aloe at a Latin American grocery store, but there was definitely a bitter aftertaste to the raw aloe. I think the biggest factor in whether your aloe is going to absorb the lime and sugar (we actually used honey) when cooking is surface area. You’ll notice that the smaller chunks taste great long before the bigger chunks lose their bitterness. Taking the time to dice your aloe nice and small will increase the surface area and will go a long way toward giving you a sweet, tangy dish with no bitterness.
Nicole
I peeled off the skin, made sure there were no green left, and I tried buying another aloe vera plant from a different store, and the clear gelatinous material is still bitter….am I buying the wrong kind of aloe vera?
norecipes
To be honest I'm not sure. I go to a Latin American grocery store where they
sell the edible variety. The
“leaves” are typically about 2+ feet long and are 3-4″ wide at the base.
-m
Nicole
Thanks a bunch. I'll try to look for those. =]
Whatsitstooya21
WOW All of this food looks really good!!
Grizzly_adams07
Is the outside of an aloe vera leaf edible?
- Anonymous
  Nope, the skin is very bitter and fibrous.
edd
is there a specific time in harvesting d aloe vera? when is d best time 2 hrvst?
- Jorge Santos Jose
  Yes you should harvest it early in the morning and or late at night.. The leaves closest to the ground are the best.
Maemerasberry
I am so glad to have found your recipe. I am also a fan of the Dannon Aloe Vera yogurt. I discovered it while in the south of France. I am excited to try it. Thanks!
LolaAngelX
Marc, thank you so much for your aloe vera recipe! I needed to start eating aloe for medical reasons and this is my new favorite food in the world thanks to your recipe! Its incredible… PERFECT!
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Terri Gooch98@gmail.com
I have used the aloe plant my entire life. I love it and firmly believe that it is a medicinal plant that can used for and in many different ways. I am eager to learn how to use it more in recipes. While your poached aloe in yogurt sounds delightful, it seems to me that a cup of sugar sabotages the health benefits of the aloe. I would suggest using Agave instead.
Lilskwirl
Where could I find large Aloe Leaves to purchase? Do I have to grow my own plant, or could I just purchase a decent sized Aloe Leaf from a store? x] I Can’t wait to try this out!
- http://norecipes.com Marc Matsumoto
  You can pick them up at Latin American groceries.
- J19t51
  I Buy it in the supermarket they come in large leafs….
Blackbear013
I have an Amazon parrot who came into my care almost 3 years ago with liver damage, malnutrition gout. I rub the juice from an aloe leaf on his feet nightly & “he“ loves to take bites to eat from the narrow ends. This has helped tremendously. I will definitely try this recipe for both of us.
Kaylarace122
I found that pureeing the aloe with pineapple juice to be quite tasty. Adding a tropical kick while the sugar takes away the bitter, “green” plant taste.
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KimAloe
Hi all, firstly i love aloe vera. Great recipe by the way. Although it sounds like alot of sugar and to get the real benefits from aloe you probably wanna take it in the raw form as cooking it depletes nutrients. Also you have to take leaves from older plants (3-4 years old) for it to have the compounds. The young leaves tend to be bitter. Hope this helps. When yoi’re feeling run down or sick it really boosts your immune system.
Mimisan
Thank you, I’ll try the ALOE/Yogurt right now,
F.Y.I, You can find drinks with aloe chunks in it in…… Korea,
unfortunatly they are more on the ” soft drink ” side,
Lots of sugar in it.
QUESTION : Do you have any special ” trick ” to peel it ?
Mimisan
I learned one important detail from a friend in Japan :
- While PEELING the Aloe Vera,
make sure you do it UNDER COLD RUNNING WATER –
this way the bitterness coming from the fibrous skin is flushed off the gel parts
which I personally eat right away ( uncooked ), no problem with the bitterness then.
Have fun peeling it, though….
- http://norecipes.com Marc Matsumoto
  For aloe I like using the type of peeler which you hold from above rather than from the side. Then i lay the aloe on a flat surface and peel it from above. This allows you to put more pressure on aloe as you’re peeling.
  - Jasonmazzo
    I lay it flat on a cutting board cut the edges then skin it like a fish filet with the knife parallel to the cutting board pressing down.
Tracy Taulier
Tried the Poached Aloe recipe…. Bitterly taste still in it, will try to prepare under cold running water next time.
Viv
The prep for this recipe is long and difficult but well worth it if you have the patience – it tastes wonderful!! With yoghurt it is perfect
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Lucy
I had previously enjoyed a canned cubed unsweetened gelled Aloe Vera product, added to many recipes (especially filler in soups and salads!), but now can not find such available anywhere (internet search only shows barrels available from foreign manufacturers). It was SO convenient and no bitterness. In 2012, I had found & purchased (T.A.S. brand) 14.4oz cans at a local Asian Market. Anyone know if and where such canned product is available (in the US) now??