Cooking without eggs is no yolk!
Rising egg prices caused by avian influenza and the move towards higher welfare production are presenting a challenge to catering teams – read our recent blog about the egg and poultry industry here for expert insight
As a result, you could be looking for ways to reduce your ingredient costs, so now is the time to consider an alternative to eggs for your menus.
But what can you use instead of eggs to make mayonnaise, meringues and macarons? Just reach for a simple tin of chickpeas…
How can chickpeas replace eggs in your recipes?
Traditional chickpea processing consists of two main steps – soaking and cooking in water (boiling or cooking under pressure). Aquafaba (the amalgamation of the Latin words for water and bean) is the viscous liquid that remains after boiling/cooking the legumes.
When whipped, aquafaba rises and thickens into a white, foamy cloud that you’d struggle to distinguish from traditional egg-based meringue.
Aquafaba was initially discovered by Joël Roessel, a vegan French musician who was trying to replace egg white as a foaming agent in a “floating island” recipe. Little did he know, when he shared his exciting discovery online, that he would start a vegan revolution!
So why does the liquid work so well as a culinary ingredient? Aquafaba is full of substances that enhance water’s foaming abilities – this is because legume seeds like chickpeas and soybeans contain albumins and globulins, the same proteins found in eggs that make them vital in creating culinary foams.
They’re also rich in saponins, plant-derived organic chemicals that dissolve in both fat and water, and they can also help to form stable foams. The combined presence of albumins, globulins, and saponins in chickpea cooking liquid means that, when agitated, it will produce a stable foam.
Delicious recipes using aquafaba
Depending on the recipe you’re using (and you may need to reduce the liquid if it’s not quite the consistency of egg whites), the general equivalent is three tablespoons of aquafaba where you’d use one egg, two tablespoons for one egg white, and one tablespoon for an egg yolk.
You can use this simple recipe from BBC Food for aquafaba mayonnaise.
The Veganuary campaign has a delicious recipe for aquafaba macarons.
And don’t forget to use the chickpeas too! allmanhall’s recent blog about pulses has some great facts about their nutrition and sustainability credentials – along with a link to more great Hero recipes using chickpeas in a falafel burger or hummus.