Dog days are high temperature and humid, but also a variety of vegetables high yield time, not only high quality, the price is relatively cheaper, you can take advantage of the harvest of vegetables at this time to dry the vegetables, the scorching sun makes the dried vegetables much simpler, most of the day can be sun-dried, save a lot of trouble and save money, these dried vegetables are left to the autumn and winter stew to eat, there is a different flavor.
I would like to recommend 6 kinds of vegetables that are suitable for drying vegetables, so be sure to give them a try.
Sun-dried vegetables are a traditional and practical food preservation trick that can extend the shelf life of vegetables and add flavor to our tables when they are not in season.
Dried beans
Pretreatment: Choose fresh, pest-free and plump beans. Wash the beans thoroughly, taking particular care to remove the pedicles at both ends of the beans and any impurities that may be present.
Blanching: Pour enough water into a pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Subsequently, blanch the processed beans in boiling water for about 1-2 minutes. This short blanching process is crucial to not only soften the beans moderately, but also to lock in their emerald green hue and enhance the appearance of the dried beans.
Cooling: After blanching, remove the beans as quickly as possible and quickly put them into the cold water prepared in advance. This step is designed to immediately stop the cooking process and prevent the beans from over-ripening due to residual temperature, while also helping to maintain their vibrant color and crisp texture.
Drying: Remove the cooled beans from the cold water and gently drain the excess water. Next, spread the beans on a clean, breathable gauze or a special drying net. When placing the beans, care should be taken to keep a certain distance between the beans to ensure that sunlight and air can act evenly on each bean. Choose a sunny and well-ventilated location to dry, so that the beans can be fully bathed in nature.
Flipping: During the drying process, the beans need to be turned several times a day. This ensures that the beans are evenly heated and winded, avoiding local dampness or mildew, thus ensuring that the whole beans can be dried in an ideal state.
Storage: When the beans are completely dry and the texture is tough and crispy, they can be stored in an airtight container for proper preservation. The airtight container can effectively block the moisture, air and various pollutants from the outside world, creating a stable, dry and hygienic storage environment for the dried beans, so that they can maintain good quality and flavor for a long time.
Dried eggplant
1. Pick and process: Choose fresh, undamaged and firm eggplants. The eggplants are carefully washed and cut into uniform strips to ensure that they are evenly heated and dried during subsequent curing and drying.
2. Kill water: Sprinkle an appropriate amount of salt evenly on the cut eggplant strips and stir gently to allow the salt to penetrate fully. Marinate for 10-15 minutes, during which time the salt will cause moisture to seep out from the inside of the eggplant in preparation for subsequent drying.
3. Drain: When the marinade is finished, rinse the eggplant strips carefully with water to remove excess salt from the surface. After rinsing, be sure to drain the eggplant strips to ensure that no more water droplets remain on the surface.
4. Drying: Lay the processed eggplant strips on a drying net and place them in a well-ventilated area exposed to direct sunlight for drying. Make sure to maintain proper spacing between the eggplant strips so that sunlight and air can penetrate in all directions.
5. Flip: During the drying period, the eggplant strips need to be turned several times a day. This helps to dry all parts of the eggplant strips evenly, preventing local moisture or mold, thus ensuring the overall drying quality and results.
6. Preservation: When the eggplant strips are completely dry and the texture becomes tough and crumbly, store them in an airtight container for preservation. Airtight containers prevent moisture and contaminants from the outside world, extending the shelf life of dried eggplants and preserving their unique flavor and mouthfeel.
Dried potatoes
1. Preparation: Pick potatoes that are fresh, non-sprouted, unbroken, and of a good size. Wash the potatoes carefully and remove the skin with a spatula to ensure that the surface of the potatoes is smooth and clean.
2. Steaming: Cut the peeled potatoes into thin slices or strips, trying to ensure that the thickness of the slices or strips is uniform. Subsequently, place the sliced potatoes or strips in a steamer and steam them over high heat. The degree of steaming should be based on the fact that the potatoes are fully cooked but not too soft, so as to maintain the taste and shape after subsequent drying.
3. Drying: Remove the steamed potato slices or strips from the steamer and gently spread them on the drying net. Make sure there is a certain gap between the potato slices or strips so that sunlight and air can fully penetrate. Choose a sunny, well-ventilated site to dry your potatoes and allow them to fully absorb the drying power of nature.
4. Flipping: During the drying process, turn the potato chips or strips several times a day. This ensures that they are evenly heated, dried, and avoid localized moisture or mildew.
5. Storage: When the potato chips or strips are completely dry and have a hard and crumbly texture, they can be stored in an airtight container for proper preservation. Airtight containers can effectively block moisture, air and pollutants from the outside world, creating a stable, dry and hygienic storage environment for dried potatoes, ensuring that they maintain good quality and taste for a long time.
Dried lettuce
1. Material selection: Select fresh, straight, non-hollow lettuce with intact skin. Peel the lettuce and cut it with a knife into long strips of uniform thickness and moderate length.
2. Direct drying: Spread the cut lettuce strips directly on the drying net, without blanching or pickling in the early stage. Make sure to maintain proper spacing between the lettuce strips so that sunlight and air can circulate well.
3. Flipping: During the drying period, the lettuce strips need to be turned several times a day. This ensures that all parts of the lettuce strips are evenly exposed to sunlight and ventilated, resulting in a consistent degree of dryness.
4. Preservation: When the lettuce strips are completely dry and the texture becomes tough and elastic, store them in an airtight container for preservation. An airtight container can effectively prevent dried lettuce from getting wet and contaminated, and maintain its quality and taste.
Dried baby cabbage
1. Selection and cleaning: Choose fresh, tender green, no yellow leaves and no pests and diseases. Carefully wash the bok choy one by one, making sure to remove dirt from the roots and impurities from the leaves.
2. Blanch to cool: Add enough water to the pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Then blanch the washed cabbage in boiling water for a while, not too long, to maintain its color and nutrients. After blanching, quickly remove the cabbage and immediately soak it in cold water to quickly reduce the temperature and maintain the crisp and tender texture and bright green color of the cabbage.
3. Drying: Remove the bok choy from cold water and gently drain the excess water. Lay the cabbage flat on the net, taking care to keep the spacing between the leaves so that sunlight and air can penetrate evenly. Choose a sunny and well-ventilated location to dry, so that the baby cabbage can fully enjoy the care of the sun and breeze.
4. Flipping: During the drying process, the cabbage needs to be turned several times a day. This ensures that all parts of the cabbage are evenly dried, avoiding local dampness or mold, thus ensuring the quality and effect of drying.
5. Storage: When the baby bok choy is completely dry, the texture becomes crisp and easy to preserve, store it in an airtight container for proper preservation. Airtight containers can effectively block moisture, dust and bacteria from the outside world, creating a dry, clean and safe storage environment for dried bok choy, so that it can maintain good quality and flavor for a long time.
Dried sweet potatoes (three steamed and three sunned)
1. Pretreatment: Pick sweet potatoes that are fresh, undamaged, free of dark spots, and have a firm texture. Wash the sweet potatoes carefully to remove dirt and impurities from the surface. Then peel the sweet potato with a spatula to ensure that the sweet potato surface is smooth and clean.
2. First steaming: Cut the peeled sweet potatoes into even slices or strips. Place the sliced sweet potato chips or strips in a steamer and steam over high heat until cooked through. At this point, the sweet potato should be soft and glutinous, but still maintain a certain shape.
3. First drying: Remove the steamed sweet potato chips or strips from the steamer and spread them evenly on the drying net. Choose a sunny, well-ventilated site for drying so that the sweet potatoes can fully receive the drying effects of sunlight and breeze.
4. Second Steaming and Drying: After the first drying, when the surface of the sweet potato chips or strips becomes slightly dry, put them into the steamer again for steaming. This time the steaming time can be relatively shortened to maintain the toughness of the sweet potato. After the cooking is completed, continue to dry, and also turn frequently in the process to ensure uniform drying.
5. The third steaming and drying: After the first two treatments, the third steaming is carried out. The main purpose of this cooking is to further improve the taste and toughness of the dried sweet potatoes. After steaming, a final drying is done until the dried sweet potatoes are completely dry and the texture becomes firm and chewy.
6. Preservation: When the dried sweet potatoes have reached the desired degree of dryness after three steaming and three drying, they are stored in an airtight container for proper storage. The airtight container can effectively prevent the dried sweet potatoes from getting wet and contaminated, and maintain their sweet taste and unique flavor.
Throughout the process of making dried vegetables, it is important to ensure that the tools, containers and operating environment used are clean and hygienic, and that there are no factors that may cause food contamination. At the same time, in the drying process, it is important to choose a day with sunny weather, dry air and good ventilation, which can significantly speed up the drying speed of vegetables and ensure the quality and taste of dried vegetables. In the storage process, it is necessary to ensure that the container is well sealed to prevent the dried vegetables from being damp, suffering from insect pests and other external factors, so that they can maintain excellent quality for a long time.
Source: Gourmet Gewu