This vegan “panna cotta” was inspired by a recent dinner at Kajitsu, a Japanese restaurant in NYC that specializes in shojin ryori. It’s a style of cooking developed by buddhist monks that uses no meat or fish.
As you step down into the restaurant, the pace of life seems to slow down before your very eyes. The pleasantly lit interior reveals a long solid timber bar along with a dining room furnished and trimmed in traditional Japanese woods. Everything from the understated decor to the cedar-like smell in the air will convince you that you’re in an old home in Kyoto, rather than a basement level East Village eatery.
Each course is a perfect balance of subtle flavours and colors allowing you to taste the quality of each ingredient without being too austere or simplistic. Watching Chef Nishihara behind the bar is like watching a sculptor working with clay. The attention to detail even carries over to the carefully selected dishes that the food is presented on, some of which are over two hundred years old!
For dessert we had a blueberry kinton filled with red bean paste. Kinton is a dense dumpling, traditionally made from sweetened chestnuts, sweet potato or beans. In this case, Chef Nishihara added blueberries, an unexpected combination that worked remarkably well. The whole meal was great, but I found myself contemplating the juxtaposition between the tart floral blueberries and the creamy bean paste during the entire walk home. This contemplation soon turned into a craving which is how I came up with this red bean “panna cotta” with blueberry sauce.
I put panna cotta in quotes because it has no cream in it and the texture is quite different due to the red bean and use of kanten instead of gelatin. If you’re looking for a satiny smooth traditional panna cotta, you may prefer this one, or this one (although neither are vegetarian)
Kanten_ (agar agar) is a gelling agent common in Asian cooking that’s derived from seaweed, which makes it vegan friendly. The resulting gel isn’t the same as gelatin though, with a firmer more delicate gel that’s less resilient under pressure. If you can live with the slightly different texture, it’s a great substitute for gelatin in desserts ranging from marshmallows to fruit jellos.
Units
Ingredients
for pudding
- 1 can coconut milk (400 gram)
- ½ cup red bean paste (a.k.a. anko, adzuki bean paste)
- 3 grams kona kanten (agar agar powder)
for blueberry sauce
- 280 grams blueberries frozen wild packages
- agave nectar (to taste)
Instructions
- Put the coconut milk, red bean puree and kona kanten in a blender, and blitz until completely smooth. Pour this mixture through a double mesh seive into a small saucepan, discarding any remaining solids.
- Heat the saucepan over medium low heat, stirring constantly until it starts steaming (but not until it boils). Pour the mixture into individual ramekins and allow them to come to room temperature before putting in the refrigerator to set.
- To make the blueberry sauce, just add the thawed blueberries to the blender and blend until smooth. Taste, then add agave nectar as needed to sweeten.
- To serve, just unmold the ramekins and pour the blueberry sauce on top.
Body detoxification diets says
i became a Vegan three years ago and i can say that my health have been very very good. meat and dairy substitutes like soy also works well for the body.
Body detoxification diets says
i became a Vegan three years ago and i can say that my health have been very very good. meat and dairy substitutes like soy also works well for the body.
octopod says
This looks amazing! I love red bean, and blueberry seems like just what it needs — especially with the good blueberries we get up here.
Previous experiments with red bean yielded another unexpected combination — coconut-milk crepes with a touch of toasted sesame oil, spread with chunky red bean paste, sliced banana, and a swipe of durian jam. I wonder if something similar can be done here? — use some kind of caramelized bananas and durian on top rather than the blueberries, possibly with some sliced citrus of some kind? Hmmm.
octopod says
This looks amazing! I love red bean, and blueberry seems like just what it needs — especially with the good blueberries we get up here.
Previous experiments with red bean yielded another unexpected combination — coconut-milk crepes with a touch of toasted sesame oil, spread with chunky red bean paste, sliced banana, and a swipe of durian jam. I wonder if something similar can be done here? — use some kind of caramelized bananas and durian on top rather than the blueberries, possibly with some sliced citrus of some kind? Hmmm.
Nyx Washi says
Lovely pics – they look so tasty and delicious =)
Nyx Washi says
Lovely pics – they look so tasty and delicious =)
janekm says
Wait you can make marshmallows with Kanten? I always assumed that wouldn’t be possible as the method of making marshmallows I know seems to depend on the temperature profile of gelatin… Do you have a recipe reference by any chance? It would be great news for Vegetarians! (I actually once sourced halal gelatine from Indonesia to make marshmallows for a friend who holds to a halal diet…)
Marc Matsumoto says
To be honest I’ve never tried it but there’s no reason why itshouldn’t work as gelatin is a gelling agent that stabilizes tiny airbubbles, which is how marshmallows get so big and puffy. Kanten shoulddo the same thing. My suggestion, give it a try using a conventionalmarshmallow recipe, but replace the kanten for the gelatin. It may notwork, but worst case, you’re out a few bucks in ingredients. Or, ifyou’re patient, I’ve added it onto my list of things to try making andI can let you know how it goes.-Marc
janekm says
Wait you can make marshmallows with Kanten? I always assumed that wouldn't be possible as the method of making marshmallows I know seems to depend on the temperature profile of gelatin… Do you have a recipe reference by any chance? It would be great news for Vegetarians! (I actually once sourced halal gelatine from Indonesia to make marshmallows for a friend who holds to a halal diet…)
Marc Matsumoto says
To be honest I've never tried it but there's no reason why itshouldn't work as gelatin is a gelling agent that stabilizes tiny airbubbles, which is how marshmallows get so big and puffy. Kanten shoulddo the same thing. My suggestion, give it a try using a conventionalmarshmallow recipe, but replace the kanten for the gelatin. It may notwork, but worst case, you're out a few bucks in ingredients. Or, ifyou're patient, I've added it onto my list of things to try making andI can let you know how it goes.-Marc
Happy Cook! says
This recipe is FABULOUS!!!!!! It looks exactly like the picture and tastes MARVELOUS! I had a dinner party for a couple who both observe strict Vegan eating habits. My Husband and I are not Vegans but we wanted to entertain our friends and make them feel warm and comfortable and I did not disappoint them – or my non-Vegan Hubby – with this recipe!!!! It was beautiful in pale cobalt martini glasses and instead of the frozen blueberries, I used fresh ones perched atop the MAGNIFICENT Coconut Cream whipped cream. My Hubby actually licked the inside of the glass!!! Pleasantly and mildly sweet and very satisfying after a 5-course Vegan feast. I heartily recommend this beautiful dessert! 🙂