Popular Mechanics (South Africa)
Provisions:
Aquafaba – perhaps the next best thing to egg whites.
THERE’S A HIGH probability that you’ve been throwing something useful and valuable right down the plughole in the kitchen. We’re talking about aquafaba, which is the viscous liquid that you usually drain out of tinned legumes such as chickpeas before you use them.
During the cooking process, proteins, carbohydrates and other water-soluble nutrients leach from the chickpeas into the water. The result is a thick and slightly gloopy liquid that, perhaps surprisingly, has led to a vegan-cooking revolution.
Aquafaba is quite a special find as it mimics many of the functional properties of egg whites. It has similar gelatinisation, foaming, binding, and thickening properties, and is nearly flavourless when baked. Though the liquid from legumes such as lentils, white beans, kidney beans and black beans has similar properties, chickpea aquafaba is the go-to choice for plantbased baking needs.
The easiest way to obtain it is to simply drain a tin of chickpeas, but it can also be made by cooking chickpeas in boiling water and reducing the ‘waste’ water over a low heat.
FOR THE WAFFLES
1 cup coconut flour
1 cup desiccated coconut 1 tsp cinnamon
6 tbsp brown sugar 4 tbsp psyllium husk
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda 3 bananas, mashed
1 cup milk
1 cup water
1 tsp vanilla essence ½ cup aquafaba
¼ tsp cream of tartar
FOR THE
FRIED BANANA 1 tbsp butter 2 bananas, cut in half, lengthways
TO SERVE
3 tbsp peanut butter