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Dressed in a black chef suit and baseball cap that reads the first letter of his name, Chef Ambar Samtani is busy whisking egg whites at his two-month-old bakery, Serendipity on Dr Ambedkar Road, Bandra, &ldquo;I am making macaroons, meringue, and coffee-based dessert affogato &mdash; all vegan,&rdquo; he grins.
<img title="Ambar Samtani blow-torches a meringue at Serendipty" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2015/nov/22Ambar-Samtani.jpg" alt="Ambar Samtani blow-torches a meringue at Serendipty" /> Ambar Samtani blow-torches a meringue at Serendipty
Wait, but didn&rsquo;t we just see him whisk an egg in the hand blender? &ldquo;That&rsquo;s chickpea brine, not egg,&rdquo; he explains, introducing us to the revolutionary liquid vegans all over the world are going gaga over. Chanced upon by French chef Jo&euml;l Roessel in March this year, a vegan baker Goose Wohlt first tried a meringue and christened the bean brine aqua faba.
Since then, vegan bakers have been sharing the last laugh on social media &mdash; pictures of cakes, meringues, marshmallows, mousse, breads, mock sausages and crusty pies are proof this liquid can be used as an emulsifier, leavening agent, and even foaming agent. In short, a replacement for the egg white.
<img title="He even makes macaroons and affagato using chickpea brine. pics/sameer markande" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2015/nov/macaroons-and-affagato-usin.jpg" alt="He even makes macaroons and affagato using chickpea brine. pics/sameer markande" /> He even makes macaroons and affagato using chickpea brine. Pics/Sameer Markande
Aqua faba &mdash; stock water created when cooking beans &mdash; is an ingredient that was lying low in almost every kitchen. Once it was discarded after draining the beans, but no more.
&ldquo;I have been using it as an oil replacement due to its sticky texture for years. You can even freeze it in ice cube trays to use later,&rdquo; says Pune-based Megan McCrindle, an American national and literacy consultant. She adds, &ldquo;For baking, it works well as egg replacement in cakes, muffins, and quick breads (blueberry or banana).&rdquo; Don&rsquo;t use them for cookies, however, she warns. &ldquo;It makes them too fluffy&rdquo;. The best part, she adds, is that it doesn&rsquo;t alter the flavour.
Ritika Ramesh, a 31-year-old who runs The Green Stove vegan bakery at Ghatkopar, admits that using it needs a bit of trial and error. She even ended up spoiling her oven after more fiascos. &ldquo;Initially, my meringue was a flop and it tasted only of sugar. After reading up on aqua faba, I followed the tips of using a metal bowl and storing the aqua faba in the fridge,&rdquo; says Ramesh, who gave it one more try last month. &ldquo;It worked. Most people use chick pea brine, but it works with beans including fava and kidney beans. It is a replacement for egg white, not eggs. I use it to give a foamy texture to lemon tarts. I&rsquo;ve even tried the peppermint meringue. The trick is to put it in the oven on low temperature (100&ordm;C) for three to four hours, just like an egg-white meringue.&rdquo;
A Facebook group &mdash; Vegan Meringue-Hits and Misses &mdash; is the go-to place for cooks who want to show off their kitchen triumphs. Anuradha Sawhney, who runs a vegan bakery in Pune, is hooked. &ldquo;I have made an orange cake, vegan omelet (she adds it in besan chila), and anything that needs fluff,&rdquo; she smirks.

Mumbai bakers replace the egg white with bean brine. And, the fluff, they say, is just as good

Presenting, the vegan meringue

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Presenting, the vegan meringue

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