Dried seafood soaking method 干貨海味浸發法

[Ho Kwok Leung]

Dried food and seafood raw materials are generally dehydrated or dried.
Compared with fresh raw materials, it has the characteristics of dryness, toughness and fishy gray taste to varying degrees.
Therefore, before use, it must be processed and soaked to remove impurities and fishy smell in the raw materials.
Moreover, through processing and soaking, the raw materials can also be made larger and softer, making it easy to absorb seasonings to maintain the original flavor of the raw materials.

There are several methods for soaking dry seafood, including cold water soaking, soaking and baking, soaking and baking in a pot, evaporation, boiling, oil soaking, and fire soaking.

1. Cold water hair
Cold water hair is the most common method for hair hair. It is suitable for hair mushrooms, aged mushrooms, mushrooms, Xiangxin, osmanthus fungus, yellow fungus, elm fungus, fungus, cloud fungus, stone fungus, golden cauliflower (day lily), and vermicelli. , Nostoc, squid, cuttlefish, etc.
The cold water hair method is to put the raw materials directly into cold water, let them absorb water, and naturally expand, making the materials big, soft, and restored to their original shape.
The length of soaking time depends on the dryness and hardness of the raw materials.

example 1
To soak the mushrooms, wash them with clean water first, change the water and soak them for ten minutes, then cut off the mushroom stems.
If it is used to stew northern mushrooms with fragrant dew, the water used to soak the mushrooms should also be stewed to preserve the original flavor of the northern mushrooms.
For example, if you soak mushrooms, xiangxin, etc., the soaking time should be longer.
For darker northern mushrooms, you can first rub them thoroughly with cornstarch and then soak them in cold water.

Example 2
To soak the squid, soak the squid in cold water for 1-2 hours, wash off the eyes, anus, and spine, and peel off the outer membrane.
For example, the soaking time for larger squid and Shanwei squid can be longer, but if it is too long, the original flavor will be lost.

Example 3
Soak the cloud ears. The body of the cloud ears is thin and thin. The soaking time should not be too long. It can be used in half an hour.
However, elm and yellow ears are thick and large, so they need to be soaked for ten hours.
When soaking ears, do not allow fatty water to invade to prevent diarrhea. After soaking, sand, mud and debris must be washed away before use.

2. Soak and bake hair
The method of soaking and baking is to soak the raw materials in cold water for an appropriate amount of time, then pour out the cold water and use boiling water for baking.
The function of this kind of hair material is that immersing it in cold water can whiten the material, and baking it in boiling water can help soften the material.
This method of hair making is generally suitable for making yellow croaker heads, clam skin, fish maw, bird's nest, snow clam paste (i.e. hash paste), oysters, Guangdu, etc.

example 1
To soak the bird's nest, first soak it in cold water for 30 minutes. Pour out the cold water and replace it with boiling water. Let the water cool and then change it, about three or four times.
In short, take your body and hair as a measure, and finally use toothpicks or "button ear pliers" to pick out the bird's feathers.

Example 2
Dip Guangdu (i.e. fish belly), which is cut raw and dried in the sun.
First soak it in cold water for 8-10 hours (if you bake it directly in boiling water, the belly will not be white). After washing it, switch to boiling water and bake it with a lid in a clay pot for three hours.
The criterion is that your fingers can be inserted into the belly. If it is not soft enough, you can still use boiling water to soak the fish maw. The water must be kept clean and cannot be mixed with shrimp, crab or fatty water.

3. Soak and bake in a pot
Soaking and baking is a hair-raising method that consists of several links. It is suitable for soaking raw materials that are hard in texture and have a strong gray fishy smell.
For example: shark fin, sea cucumber, elephant bark, etc.
The method of soaking and baking in a pot is to first soak the raw materials in cold water, then bake them in boiling water, and then simmer them over a slow fire until the ingredients are soft and enlarged, and the gray fishy smell is gone.

example 1
To soak shark fins, first cut off the edges of the large abalone fins to about one millimeter and soak them in cold water for four hours.
Pour away the cold water, then replace with boiling water and bake for four hours (to the extent that the sand can subside),
Remove the sand, add cold water and rinse for two hours.
Hold the wings horizontally with two pieces of sparse bamboo strips, put them into a clay basin, add water and simmer for two hours.
Take out the rinse water once, remove the wing bones, then put it in a basin and simmer for eight hours (change the water every two hours to remove the ash and odor).
For large bone wings, the cooking time can be shorter:
In the case of wing cakes, the process of removing sand and bones can be avoided.
Do not use hardware cans to remove shark fins to prevent them from turning black.

Example 2
Soaking sea cucumbers is mainly soaked and baked in a pot.
Soak the sea cucumbers in cold water for an hour and put them in a clay pot. Add 7 qian of lime or 3 qian of water for each kilogram of sea cucumbers and bake them in boiling water for three hours.
To remove the original gray smell of sea cucumbers, take them out and wash them with cold water.
Then put it back into the jar and simmer for two hours (based on translucency), take it out, use scissors to cut open the belly, and wash away the gravel and intestines.

4. Evaporation
Evaporation is relatively simple and suitable for steamed buns, scallops, dried prawns, etc.
For example, for Yao Zhu, first remove the pillow and wash it, soak it in water for ten minutes, take it out, put it in a clay bowl, add water, cooking wine, ginger, green onion, etc., put it in a steamer, and steam until soft.
This method of hair-raising is to maintain the aroma and original flavor of the material, and to retain the original juice.

5. Boil hair
The method of stewing is to put the raw materials directly into a wok (pot) and use the heat of boiling water to make the materials swell and become soft. The length of stewing time should depend on the size, size, oldness and tenderness of the materials.

example 1
Soaked abalone, net abalone, Jipin, Woma and other types of abalone can be cooked directly in boiling water, but it is not advisable to use high heat. Bake it in the pot for seven or eight hours and then take it out.
Wash it with clean water, then roll it with boiling water. Use an earthenware plate to hold the water, so it is better to soak the noodles.

6. Oily hair
Oil hair includes several steps such as frying, soaking, and water bleaching.
The method of making oil is to use oil to conduct heat energy, so that the material will swell after being exploded, and then soaked in cold water to soften and rinse away the oil.
It is suitable for oily hair if it has high viscosity, small size, heavy colloid or contains a lot of oil, such as tendon, eel belly, yellow croaker belly, fish white, etc.
If it is made with water, the material will easily dissolve, which is unsightly, unpalatable, and has a low yield.
When putting oily things into the wok, the oil temperature must be above 180°C. If the heat of the oil is not high, it will not cause the material to rise.

example 1
To make the fish white in oil, first put the dried fish white in a boiling oil pan and deep-fry until golden brown (measured when the fish is thick enough).
Then put the fish whites into a cold water basin to soak for an hour, and finally bleach them with hands several times (the function of bleaching is to remove greasiness).
If the color is yellow, you can add an appropriate amount of white vinegar to bleach it. If there are red and black spots, they should be cut off. The method of soaking eel belly and tendons is basically the same.

7. Fire hair
Huofa is currently rarely used in Cantonese cooking.
The way to create fire is to simmer the material directly in the fire.
In the past, hairy bear paws were wrapped in wet mud and then simmered in the fire for thirty minutes (the mud was dry enough to remove the hair).
Soak it in rice washing water or cold water for 12 hours, scrape off the hair and dirt, then bake it in a slow fire pot for four hours, and then remove the metacarpal bones.
The current method is to soak the bear paws in cold water or rice washing water for ten hours, then put them in a wok (瀉), bake them over slow fire for six or seven hours, then soak them in cold water, pluck out the fine hairs and remove the palm coat. Armor, bones, etc.

干貨、海味原料，普遍是經過脫水幹制或生曬而成。
它與鮮活原料比較，具有不同程度的幹硬、老韌和臊腥灰味的特點。
因此，在使用前，必須先加工浸發，才能除去原料中的雜質和臊腥氣味，
而且通過加工浸發，還能使原料發大松軟，易於吸收調味料，以保持原料本來的風味。

干貨海味的浸發方法，大致有冷水發，浸焗發，浸焗煲發，蒸發，煲發，油發，火發等幾種。

一、冷水發
冷水發是最普遍的發料法，它適用於發北菇、陳菇、蘑菇、香信、桂花耳、黃耳、榆耳、木耳、雲耳、石耳、金菜（黃花菜）、粉絲、發菜、魷魚、墨魚等。
冷水發的方法，是將原料直接放進冷水里，讓其吸收水分，自然漲發，使物料發大松軟，還原於原狀。
浸發時間長短，要視原料的幹硬程度而定。

例1
浸發北菇，先用清水洗凈，換水再浸十分鐘，剪去菇蒂便可。
如用於香露燉北菇，還要用回浸菇的水同燉，以保留北菇原味。
如浸發次北菇、香信等，浸的時間要長些。
較黑的北菇，可先用生粉擦透，再用冷水浸泡。

例2
浸發魷魚，將魷魚用冷水浸發1—2小時，洗去魚眼、肛門、脊骨，剝掉外膜便成。
如體積較大的排魷、汕尾魷，浸的時間，可適當長些，但過久了，會失掉原味。

例3
浸發雲耳，雲耳身細而薄，浸發時間不宜過長，半小時可用。
但榆耳、黃耳身厚而大，則需要浸發十個小時。
凡浸發耳類，不能有肥膩水侵入，以防瀉身，浸發後，要洗凈砂泥雜物，方能使用。

二、浸焗發
浸焗發的方法是，先將原料用冷水浸發適量時間後，倒掉冷水，轉用沸水泡焗。
這種發料的作用是，冷水浸，能使物料增白，沸水焗，能助長物料回軟。
這種方法發料，普遍適用於發黃魚頭、躉皮、花膠、燕窩、雪蛤膏（即哈士嗎）、蠔豉、廣肚等。

例1
浸發燕窩，先用冷水浸三十分鐘，倒掉冷水，換用沸水泡焗，水冷再換，如是者約三、四次。
總之，以身軟發大為度，最後用牙簽或“鈕耳鉗”將燕毛剔凈。

例2
浸發廣肚（即鰵魚肚），它是生割曬干而成，
要先用冷水浸發8-10小時（如直接沸水焗，則肚不潔白)，洗凈後，轉用沸水，用瓦盆加蓋焗三小時，
以手指能插進肚里為標準，如不夠軟，仍可換沸水再凡浸發魚肚類，水一定要保持清潔，不能混有蝦蟹水或肥膩水。

三、浸焗煲發
浸焗煲發是幾個環節連在一起的發料法，它適用於浸發質地堅硬，灰腥味濃的原料。
例如：魚翅、海參、象拔等。
浸焗煲發的方法是，先將原料用冷水浸透，再用沸水焗，又以慢火再煲，至物料焾軟發大，灰腥味去凈為度。

例1
浸發魚翅，先將大鮑翅剪去邊，約一公厘，用冷水浸四小時，
倒掉冷水，再換沸水焗四小時（以能退沙為度)，
取出去沙，加冷水再漂兩小時後，
用疏眼竹笪兩件將翅橫夾著，放進瓦盆里，加清水煲兩小時，
取出漂清水一次，去翅骨，再放進盆里煲八小時（每兩小時換清水一次，以去清灰臭味)。
如是大骨翅，煲的時間可短一些：
如是翅餅，可免退沙、退骨的工序。
凡發翅不能用五金罐，防止魚翅變黑色。

例2
浸發海參，以浸焗煲發為主，
將海參用冷水浸拾小時轉放瓦盆，每斤海參加入石灰七錢或梘水三錢，用沸水焗三小時，
以去清海參原來的灰味，取出用冷水洗凈，
再放回罐里慢火煲焗兩小時（以透身為度)取出，用剪刀開肚，洗掉砂石、腸臟便成。

四、蒸發
蒸發較為簡便，適用於發堯柱、帶子、大蝦幹等。
例如發堯柱，先去枕洗凈，用清水浸十分鐘，取出，盛以瓦缽，加入清水、料酒、姜、蔥等，放入蒸籠，蒸至身軟。
這種發法是保持物料香味、原味，要留回原汁。

五、煲發
煲發的方法是將原料直接放進鑊（罐）里，以沸水的熱度，促使物料漲發松軟，煲發時間長短，應視物料大、小、老、嫩而定。

例1
浸發鮑魚，網鮑、吉品、窩麻等類鮑魚可直接用沸水煲發，但不宜猛火，煲焗至七、八小時後取出，
以清水洗凈，再用沸水滾過，連水用瓦盤盛著，以浸過面為宜

六、油發
油發是包括油炸、浸泡、水漂等幾個環節。
油發方法是用油傳導熱能，使物料經炸爆後而漲發，然後用冷水浸軟及漂清油膩。
對於粘性大、體積小、膠質重或本身含油量多的，如蹄筋、鱔肚、黃魚肚、魚白等，都適用於油發。
如用水發，則物料易於溶化，既不雅觀，又不好吃，成率也低。
凡油發的東西落鑊時，油溫一定要在180°C以上，如油的熱度不高，便不能使物料漲發。

例1
油發魚白，先將幹魚白放進滾油鑊里炸浸至金黃色（以漲發夠身為度），
再將魚白放入冷水盆里浸發一小時，最後用手摣漂多次（摣漂作用是去掉油膩)。
如是色帶黃，可適量加白醋漂之，如有赤黑斑點，應剪掉，鱔肚、蹄筋的浸發法基本相同。

七、火發
火發目前在粵菜烹任中較少采用。
火發的方法是將物料直接放在爐火里煨。
過去，發熊掌是以濕泥漿裹者，放在爐火里慢火煨三十分鐘後（泥漿幹結，能退毛為度)，
轉用洗米水或冷水浸十二小時，刮去汗毛污物，再用慢火煲焗四小時，退出掌骨便成。
現在發法是，先將熊掌用冷水或洗米水浸十小時後，轉放在鑊(罉)里，慢火煲焗六、七小時，再以冷水浸泡，拔去細毛及退掉掌衣、甲、骨等。