what is agar agar powder in english

Agar agar powder is a vegetarian gelatin substitute made from seaweed. It is a jelly-like substance that is obtained from the cell structure of a certain kind of algae, and the property that makes it gel is released on boiling. Agar agar is sold in flake, powder, bar, and strand form, and can be used in recipes as a stabilizing and thickening agent. It is also known as China glass, China grass, China isinglass, Japanese kanten, Japanese gelatin, and dai choy goh. Agar agar is a setting agent made from seaweed, which makes it a good substitute for gelatin in vegetarian recipes. It is a stronger setting agent than gelatin, so if substituting it for gelatin in a recipe, use less. Agar agar is sold as flakes, powder, bars, and strands. The powder is less expensive than flakes and the easiest to work with as it dissolves almost immediately, whereas the flakes take a few minutes and need to be blended until smooth. When substituting agar agar powder for gelatin, use a 1:1 ratio.