Arrowroot Powder

Arrowroot is perfect for recipes that need a little thickening at the end, or only cook for a short period of time. It can thicken recipes at a lower temperature than flour or cornstarch, and it is wonderful for use in clear liquids because it remains clear once it sets.

Add arrowroot powder by creating a slurry first. If you are making a sauce on the stovetop for example, take a little bit of the sauce out of the pot, mix in the arrowroot powder, and then add the mixture back to the saucepan. If you don’t create a slurry and you add the powder to a liquid that is very hot, the arrowroot powder will swell up and get clumpy immediately.  Adding it slowly with a slurry with ensure that it doesn’t get too clumpy and ruin your dish. Once your sauce is the desired thickness, remove it from the heat immediately. Overcooking arrowroot powder will cause the amylopectins in the starches to break down and the thickness will be lost.

 Arrowroot is best for red sauces, as it does not perform very well in cream sauces or dairy in general. The exception to this generalization is that arrowroot powder is actually very useful in making ice cream or ice Scream!

Use arrowroot powder to make jellies or fruit sauces. It is an important part of many gumbo recipes. Remember to add it slowly and frugally, as being too generous with arrowroot powder might cause your recipes to turn into a gloopy mess.

Ingredients: Arrowroot from Thailand