Eggplant processing steps
1 material selection
The picked raw material for drying should have the following characteristics: fresh, large, fat and tender, fine meat quality, no pests and diseases, and no rot.
2 cleaning
Cut the selected eggplants with a knife to remove the stems and wash them in clean water for later use.
3 precooked
Add water to the pot and boiling the water, pour in the washed eggplants and cover the pot. When the water in the pot boils again, take out the eggplants and check whether it has been cooked thoroughly. If the eggplant has turned dark brown and soft, it means it has been cooked. You should immediately use a spoon to remove the eggplant and put it on a bamboo sieve or bamboo curtain to dissipate heat and cool it down.
4 slices
After the pre-cooked eggplant has cooled down, cut the eggplant in half, and then cut each half into 3-4 pieces. You should prevent eggplant pieces are still connected after cutting.
Eggplant drying process
1. The first drying stage: After cutting the the eggplant into petals, place the eggplant sections on the grid plate one by one. Insert the grid plate into the material cart, push the material cart into the drying room. Set the temperature to 58°C, drying for 12 hours without flipping. After drying, it can be salted after cooling.
The eggplant should be salted in a ceramic basin or jar. Place the sun-dried eggplant section side upward in a basin (jar), sprinkle a layer of ground salt on it, and rub it evenly with your hands so that all the salt powder sticks to the eggplant petals. The amount of salt used is based on the weight of the sun-dried eggplant. For every 100 kilograms of eggplant, you should add 5 kilograms of salt. After rubbing the salt, turn the eggplant section over and spread it in the pot (jar) layer by layer until the eggplant is 3-4 cm above the pot mouth and the center of the pot is protruding. You should salt the eggplant for 12 hours.
2. Second drying stage:After salting, place the eggplants one by one on a grid plate. The temperature is set to 65°C, the time is 15 hours, and the moisture is continuously drained. The final moisture content of the eggplant should reach 13%. When the eggplant turns black and brown and can be broken, it becomes a semi-finished product.
Soak and dry: Soak the dried eggplant petals in water for about 20 minutes to allow it to absorb water and turns soft. Then take it out with a spoon, and then put it in the drying room for drying. The drying temperature can be set between 60°C and 65°C. Drying the eggplant until the skin of the eggplant is anhydrous. The weight is slightly less than when it was just soaked, but it is still 45-50% heavier than the semi-finished product. The purpose of soaking is to remove some of the salt and the bitterness of the eggplant.
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