The One Mistake You Make When Using Gulaman

From the festive Cathedral Windows to the vendors selling sago’t gulaman along the sidewalks, we grew up eating gulaman, a type of gelatin. This seaweed extract is plentiful in our country, making it available all year in markets and supermarkets everywhere.

But while its accessibility is uncontested, if you don’t know how to use it, you can easily mess up your dessert and have to start all over again.

Here’s why: you cannot remelt gulaman. Unlike gelatin which will melt again if reheated, you cannot make a mistake with gulaman because once it sets, it stays set. It’s a quality that makes it perfect for our tropical weather versus gelatin which can easily melt in our tropical weather.

It’s this same quality however makes it difficult to use as well, especially for beginner cooks and bakers just learning how to use the versatile ingredient.

So, the trick to using gulaman is all about working fast. This means, even before starting on the gulaman, all ingredients and equipment you will use with the gulaman should already be prepared. This way, as soon as the gulaman has dissolved into the liquid and simmered enough to activate its gelatinous properties, pour the gulaman mixture into the mold immediately because it will set quickly, too.

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Once you know what to do and get the hang of working fast when using gulaman, your desserts will be melt free so you can have your gulaman dessert even in the heat of the summer.