Aquafaba

About this preparation

Aquafaba is simply the liquid in a can of chickpeas. Shaken hard, it whips into a silky white foam, just like egg white, but it’s vegan and avoids raw egg. Chickpeas are a pillar of Persian cooking (in abgoosht, nokhodchi cookies and chickpea flour sweets), so it feels at home here.

In the book, it creates two “clouds”: the snowcap on Damavand Snow and the airy, gaz-like texture of Naqsh-e Jahan Cloud.

How to make it

1. Drain the can through a fine sieve set over a bowl. Keep the liquid; save the chickpeas for cooking.
2. Stir the liquid and pour into a clean jar, or freeze in 15 ml portions.
3. In the drink: add 15 ml aquafaba to the shaker and dry-shake without ice for about 10 seconds, then add ice and shake again. Double-strain into a chilled glass.

Yield and storage

• About 120 ml per can, enough for eight drinks.
• Refrigerate up to 3–4 days, or freeze in 15 ml cubes up to 3 months (provisional).

Tips and troubleshooting

• Unsalted chickpeas only; salted aquafaba makes drinks taste salty.
• Weak foam: liquids vary by brand. Simmer the aquafaba gently until reduced by a third, cool, and try again. Record the brand.
• Beany smell: it disappears once shaken with the other ingredients and a citrus garnish.
• Alternative: fresh egg white (about 20 ml per drink) foams similarly, but it is raw egg; consider pasteurized egg white, and tell guests.

Different concepts of this preparation

1. Canned aquafaba

The recipe above. The house standard.

2. Reduced aquafaba

Simmered down by a third for a thicker, more stable foam.

3. Without foam

Leave it out and shake the drink with ice normally. The drink loses its cloud but keeps its flavor.

Allergen note

Contains chickpeas (legumes). The egg-white alternative contains egg.

Development notes

• Status: draft, not yet taste-tested.
• Record the chickpea brand and foam performance.