Psyllium as thickner? Help!

[Misty]

I read somewhere here that I could use psyllium as a thickner in place of corn starch for gravies and other things. I live in a small farming town and can't find the Thick & Thin/No Starch anywhere. I did manage to find the psyllium at the natural food store and tried it Sunday. I took a little turkey drippings in a seperate pot for myself and tried adding the psyllium, cooked a few minutes till it simmered and what did I get? Well you know the stuff called Slime that kids used to play with? Yup
That's what it looked like. I got up the nerve to taste it, and the flavor of my slime was great, but really hard to swallow..lol Does anyone know the proper portions of phyllium to liquid that I should be using? If so, I'd sure appreciate knowing before Thanksgiving..lol

[Naja]

I do not recommend using psyllium as a thickener in sauces as the results can be a bit on the slimy side. You can experiment with a very small amount of psyllium powder dissolved and stirred vigorously for 3-4 minutes into your liquid. Check the consistency at that point and see if you like it. You may still find it slimy. If it is still too thin, add only a small amount at a time - 1/2 tsp ground husk for every cup of liquid, stirring 3-4 minutes until it is fully incorporated.

Incidentally, Not/Starch is also a bit "slimy" and doesn't have the same mouthfeel as a classic roux sauce thickened with flour. You can get a much better sauce thickener by combining Ketatoes with soy powder (not soy flour). I also highly recommend pureed vegetables such as cauliflower for additional thickening, as well as cream cheese and/or sour cream melted into the rich stock. Experiment with these ingredients until you find a combination that appeals to you.