Homemade Imitation Red Caviar from Ketchup

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   WHAT YOU'LL NEED: water (you can use still mineral water or fish broth); ketchup or tomato paste (you can also make the "caviar" from a cup of tomato juice, in which case you won't need the water); 1.5 teaspoons of agar-agar, or gelatin (use 4 times as much, i.e. 6 teaspoons); salt to taste, depending on how salty you like it; preferably odorless sunflower oil; and a disposable syringe without a needle.

2. Step 2:

   

   HOW TO MAKE IT: An hour before you start, put the sunflower oil in the freezer. Pour a cup of water into a small saucepan, add the ketchup or tomato paste, and stir carefully with a spoon until the ketchup dissolves. Add a little salt to taste, stir, then add the agar-agar and mix well.

3. Step 3:

   

   Set the saucepan over medium heat and, stirring, bring the mixture to a boil. Take it off the heat 5 to 7 seconds after it boils.

4. Step 4:

   

   Pour the mixture into a separate bowl and let it cool to room temperature.

5. Step 5:

   

   Once the liquid has cooled, stir it well, draw it up into the syringe, and drip it a little at a time into a glass of the chilled sunflower oil.

6. Step 6:

   

   Because the oil is cold and the "caviar" liquid is at room temperature, the drops instantly form little beads, sink to the bottom of the glass, and look just like real caviar — and the oil keeps the beads from sticking together.

7. Step 7:

   

   Once the oil rises near the top of the glass, strain out the finished beads through cheesecloth or a sieve, then repeat with the rest of the mixture.

8. Step 8:

   

   And that's it — the "caviar" is ready! It's indistinguishable from the store-bought kind, except the store version has various unhealthy additives. Use it to dress up a party table — on canapés, in salads, and so on. That's how easy homemade red "caviar" is. You can make black "caviar" the same way, using soy sauce as the base.