How to make Hericium erinaceus delicious?

Hericium is a relatively unpopular and niche ingredient, but its taste is quite good. However, ingredients that are not commonly eaten may not be so familiar in the preparation. It just so happened that this time we Let’s answer it. Let’s first understand what ingredient Hericium erinaceus is? There is no need to explain the origin of Hericium erinaceus’ name. Let’s just look at its furry appearance. In ancient times, Hericium erinaceus was a relatively valuable mountain treasure because of its scarcity and deliciousness. It was also called the "Eight Treasures of Grass" together with Tremella fungus, Dictyophora fungi, and Daylily. In fact, their preciousness is not much different now. However, the statement that Hericium erinaceus, bird's nest, shark's fin, and bear's paw are also called "the four famous dishes" is open to question. Apart from cross talk, no reliable source or basis for this statement has been found.

Now Hericium can be cultivated artificially, so the price is not that expensive. It is basically a mushroom that ordinary people can consume. Moreover, the nutritional value of Hericium erinaceus is also very good. In fact, there are almost no types of edible mushrooms with poor nutritional value. Therefore, it is good to eat some Hericium erinaceus occasionally in our daily diet. Try it and it was once ranked among the Manchu and Han Dynasties. Hericium erinaceus is one of the "eight delicacies" among the "four eight delicacies". Below we will share how to make Hericium erinaceus, as well as some precautions for selection and pre-processing.

——Hericium mushroom stewed pork ribs——

Main ingredients: 2 to 3 Hericium mushrooms, 2 pounds of pork ribs

Accessory ingredients: oil, salt, Sugar, light soy sauce, green onion, ginger

Preparation: First, we soak the Hericium a few hours in advance. After the Hericium is slightly soft, remove the roots, tear it into small pieces and continue soaking. It is best to change the water every 2 hours or so; soak the ribs in water in advance after cutting them into pieces, and change the water several times during this period, so that the blood water can actually go away and it will be cleaner. Whether to blanch it or not will not have a big impact. After all, we are not here to drink soup, but to braise and stew meat; boil a pot of water, take the Hericium mushrooms out of the soaking water, squeeze out the excess water, and blanch them in boiling water Process, take out and drain and set aside (if you want to drink soup, you can also blanch the meat if you don't mind); add a little base oil in the pot, then add some sugar and stir-fry the sugar color over low heat. When the sugar liquid is jujube red, stir-fry the pork ribs until they are coloured, stir-fry the hericium briefly, add light soy sauce, green onions and ginger and stir-fry evenly, heat the water to cover all the ingredients, return to the boil and reduce to low heat and simmer; simmer for approx. It will take about 40 to 50 minutes. Add some salt to taste and cook for another 5 to 10 minutes before serving. Key points for selecting and cooking Hericium mushrooms:

In fact, follow the above method As you can see, dry soaked Hericium erinaceus is a kind of food that is relatively resistant to cooking. The focus of our cooking method is almost just the soaking and processing of Hericium erinaceus. The remaining cooking stage is normal stewing. Ribs way. If you use Hericium erinaceus to stew chicken soup, it will probably be stewed in the same way as normal chicken soup. However, the processing of Hericium erinaceus needs to be emphasized. Pre-processing of Hericium erinaceus:

① First of all, it is best to soak dry Hericium erinaceus overnight in advance. However, since its protein content is quite good and its nutrients are relatively rich, it is best to put it in the refrigerator. This can avoid the problems of soaking and bacterial contamination (if you cannot soak it so long in advance, you need to cook it longer when blanching).

②The second step is to remove the roots of Hericium erinaceus. This part has a relatively strong bitter taste and the taste is not very good.

③Also, no matter how you cook the dried Hericium, it is best to change the water several times during soaking, and squeeze out the absorbed water each time. After soaking and before cooking, blanch it in water to remove its bitter taste to the greatest extent.

④ Fresh Hericium mushrooms are relatively rare in the market, but the way to eat them is similar to other mushrooms. However, because of their strange appearance, it is best to soak them in salt water and wash them thoroughly several times in advance. , simply blanch it in water to prevent that furry "head" from harboring dirt.

How to choose Hericium erinaceus:

①Although Hericium erinaceus has a white appearance when fresh, after drying it is usually golden yellow or yellow with a white tint, and it will not be snow white. It looks snow-white. If it looks too white, there might be something wrong with it.

② Secondly, choose one with a complete shape, relatively rounded shape, sound and undamaged fur, and no traces of insects. It would be better if the fur on it is short and dense.

③Finally, the storage time of dried Hericium erinaceus also needs to be paid attention to. If it has reached the point where the hairs on it will fall off as soon as it is touched, it is best to choose carefully. This may It has been left out for too long, or it has dried out too much. Finally, let’s briefly talk about “hericium mushrooms nourishing the stomach”.

I believe that many friends derive this opinion from the advertising of a certain biscuit or rice cereal, but in fact Hericium itself has no proven effect in nourishing the stomach. "Hericium erinaceus extract" is also used in the laboratory. This is a completely different concept from eating Hericium erinaceus. Its description in ancient medicine is only "digestion aid", so if you have gastrointestinal If you feel unwell, you should see a doctor as soon as possible. Don’t think that eating Hericium or its derivatives will suffice. Moreover, our stomach is an organ that is used or lost. To put it simply, the stomach of a normal person does not need to be "nourished". The more you eat something that is particularly easy to digest, the ability of the stomach will become worse over time.