Vegan macadamia mozzarella in a caprese salad

Combine all the ingredients for the creamy mozzarella base in your high-speed blender or food processor. Blend for 2 minutes or until completely smooth.

In a medium saucepan, combine the water and agar agar powder. Whisk to incorporate, then place over a low medium heat. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until the mixture starts to thicken. It should become cloudier and produce lots of little bubbles across the bottom of the pan. This step is important for a sliceable mozzarella, so don’t rush the process.

When your mixture is ready, pour in the creamy mozzarella base and whisk to combine. The mixture should thicken quite quickly and become stringy and gloopy. Sprinkle over the psyllium husk powder while whisking and whisk vigorously to ensure it doesn’t clump. It should be evenly distributed.

Continue cooking the mixture for 1-2 minutes. It should develop a thicker béchamel consistency and take a few seconds to settle back into the pan if you lift it up with the whisk. As you whisk, you should be able to catch glimpses of the bottom of the pan as the mixture lifts. Take the mozzarella off the heat and allow it to sit for 10 minutes. It will look too runny to scoop, but don’t worry.

Prepare a medium mixing bowl with iced water. Use an ice cream scoop to scoop up 50c sized balls of mozzarella. Neaten the dangly, sticky edges of the mozzarella with a spoon or your fingers. Dip the ice cream scoop into the iced water to encourage the ball to vacate. The edges of the ball should set up on entering the iced water. Repeat with the remaining mixture.

Place the mozzarella in the fridge for 30-60 minutes. It should be firm and feel almost like a hard-poached egg on the outside when set. Slice and serve!

Leftovers will keep for a few days in an airtight container in the fridge.

For the caprese salad, slice and arrange the tomatoes and mozzarella on a serving platter. Top with basil leaves. Dress with the oil, sea salt flakes and balsamic glaze just before serving.