I decided to use agar agar for the first time, to make vegan kaki "golden latte" pots.
Following the manufacturer's instructions, I mixed the agar agar powder into the liquid (at first only spiced almond milk) and brought it to a boil. Then I added the fruit puree - kaki fruit with a little bit of ginger - and dispersed it well. I left it a few more minutes on the hob before starting to pour into the individual molds.
When I started pouring, I realized that the mixture had started making lumps, which surprised me.
Are these lumps because I overheated the mixture (the instructions were to boil for "at least 2 minutes"), because of some chemical reaction (maybe the ginger? The kaki was a non-astringent variety) or something else?
I was tempted to blend it back to a smooth state before pouring, and actually did so after filling the first two molds. But now I wonder if it will gel again when cooled, or not. Is the blending of lumped still-warm agar-agar mass OK, or will it interfere with setting?
So how can I prevent agar-agar lumps, and if they do happen, can (and should) I do something about them?
Update the pots gelled, so blending the mass smooth (while still warm) didn't stop the agar-agar from working. I am still interested in knowing more about what happened and why, and whether I should bother to do the blending if it happens again.
