Homemade Caviar from Fruit Juice with Mango and Passion Fruit Flavor

Pour all the vegetable oil into a tall, narrow container, such as a glass with a capacity of 500-700 ml or a laboratory beaker. The height of the container is important because the droplets of juice need time to fall and solidify into balls. Place the container with the oil in the freezer for at least 60 minutes. The oil will not freeze, but it will become very thick and icy to the touch. This is crucial for the success of the recipe.

In a small saucepan, combine mango juice, passion fruit juice, and sugar. If using, also add lemon juice now. Mix everything thoroughly with a small whisk or spoon to help the sugar start dissolving.

Into the cold mixture of juices, sprinkle the agar-agar powder. Using a whisk, mix vigorously for about a minute. Make sure there are no lumps. The agar must be evenly distributed in the cold liquid before you start heating it, otherwise, difficult-to-break gel lumps will form.

Place a saucepan over medium heat and warm it up, stirring constantly with a whisk. Bring the liquid to a boil. As soon as it starts to boil, reduce the heat to the minimum and cook for exactly 2 minutes, continuing to stir. Agar needs this time to fully activate. You will see that the liquid will thicken slightly.

Remove the saucepan from the heat and let it sit for 3-5 minutes to allow the liquid to cool slightly. It should not be boiling, but must remain fully liquid. If you are using edible gold dust, add it now and gently stir to distribute the particles throughout the mixture.

Take the chilled oil out of the freezer. Prepare a dropper tool – it can be a syringe (without a needle), a pipette, an eye dropper, or a small bottle with a thin dispenser. Fill the tool with the warm fruit mixture.

Holding the syringe about 5-10 cm above the surface of the cold oil, start slowly pressing the plunger to let the liquid drip into the oil drop by drop. You will see each drop, upon contact with the cold oil, immediately form into a perfect ball and slowly sink to the bottom of the vessel. Work in batches, not letting too many pearls in at once to avoid them sticking together.

When all the pearls have settled to the bottom, wait another minute until they fully firm up. Then, using a slotted spoon or a small sieve, gently scoop the caviar out of the oil. Transfer it to a sieve with very fine mesh.

To remove excess oil, gently rinse the caviar under a stream of cold running water. A few seconds will suffice. Shake the sieve to drain as much water as possible. The prepared caviar is now shiny, firm, and not greasy.

Transfer the prepared caviar to a clean, small jar or container. If you are not using it right away, you can cover it with a bit of mango juice to prevent it from drying out. Store in the refrigerator. The caviar is ready to use as a spectacular decoration!