Mango Ravioli, Like Watermelon Caviar

I wrote an article during the summer about watermelon caviar, but before I made watermelon caviar, I made mango ravioli and mango caviar. The process of making watermelon caviar and mango ravioli or caviar is basically the same. Glance through the slideshow above to get a better grasp of the overall process! I’ve selected some images and have decided to comment on them. Read more to find out which ones those are!
First, I must clarify that mango ravioli is simply mango puree encapsulated by calcium alginate polymers, but the shape of the puree is that of a large egg yolk—even looks like egg yolk! As a brief on the process in general, sodium alginate is dissolved in a fruity liquid which is then placed in a calcium chloride bath. The alginate from the fruity liquid will react with the calcium ions from the calcium chloride water to precipitate a thin film.

Unlike the recipe for watermelon caviar, I diluted the mango puree with some water to make the solution less viscous. As you can see, the sodium alginate is quite stubborn in its opposition to dissolving in water. I used an immersion blender to fully mix the sodium alginate into the water.

Sodium alginate in water.jpg

The clarity on this picture is not too great, but you can see the mango caviar shaping into a sphere as it prepares to enter the calcium chloride bath. However, the longer the liquid falls, the more elliptical shaped it will be.

Dropping mango caviar.jpg

After letting the mango caviar sit in the calcium chloride bath for a couple minutes, I scoop out the caviar with the smallest amount of calcium chloride water possible.

Filtering mango caviar 2.jpg

Here, I am washing off residual calcium chloride water on the mango ravioli. This picture is taken after creating the calcium alginate. The pool of water in the lower right hand corner is the calcium chloride bath. The white bowl is filled with plain water. The glass container towards the back is simply a storage container.

Cleaning mango ravioli.jpg

Storage of mango ravioli must be handled carefully. I suspended the ravioli in water so that they wouldn’t stick to each other or cause each other to pop. I stored the mango caviar separately.

Mango ravioli 2.jpg

Lastly, here is a summary of the ingredients and tools necessary to make mango ravioli.

Ingredients for mango ravioli.jpg

About Earl

Hi, my name is Earl. I am a student who loves to analyze food and eat healthy. My careful eye for food has caused me to become interested in the science behind food and cooking, and I write about my explorations into food on my website Toastable.com. While I believe in sticking to whole, natural foods, I'm not afraid to work with avant-garde ingredients and equipment such as constant temperature water baths and sodium alginate. I also love photography, technology, and journalism.

20. November 2010 von Earl
Categories: Molecular Gastronomy | Tags: | 3 comments