How to make bittern soup with stronger flavor?

For most pot-stewed fans, the aroma of pot-stewed vegetables is not enough or the aroma just stays on the surface, with no lingering fragrance and a long aftertaste. This question is the most frequently asked question, then. Today, let's analyze how to improve the halogen and meat flavor of braised pork.

In order to make braised pork have a braised and meaty taste, we need to know what are the core of these two flavors. The so-called pot-stewed flavor is actually the flavor given to the dishes by the braised pork ingredients we use, that is, the flavor of the spices used in the braised pork formula. As for the taste of meat, it naturally refers to the flavor of meat itself. But in addition to these two factors, another very important factor that determines the flavor of braised pork is the salt taste. In the previous sharing, I mentioned many times that salt is the king of all tastes.

When the salt is weak, the meat flavor can't be suppressed. When the salt is heavy, it will mask the taste of meat. Maybe some people will have questions, don't they say that spices have the function of removing fishy smell and removing differences? What needs to be explained here is that spices only play an auxiliary role based on the deodorization of meat, or it can be said that salt can stimulate the deodorization of some spices, thus increasing the flavor of braised meat. Salt doesn't taste right, and no amount of spices can help. Especially for meat-based stewed dishes, the salt taste is the most important. Therefore, the precise control of brine salinity is the key to determine whether the brine is delicious or not. Whether it's braised or meaty, it must be based on accurate salinity. Otherwise, no matter how good your formula is or the quality of raw materials, it is impossible to have a lasting aftertaste.

Under normal circumstances, for experienced masters of braised dishes, the control of salinity is to master salinity with their mouths by experience, but it is still difficult for novices. Because we don't always have the amount of brine, and the salinity of salt varies from place to place, we can't give a standard dosage here. This requires beginners to try more. Practice makes perfect. If you do more, you will become proficient. Usually when we cook pot-stewed vegetables, large pieces of meat need to be marinated first. The general standard of marinating is: 2.5 kg of salt for pork and rabbit meat, 3 kg of salt for beef and 3.2 kg of salt for duck meat per 100 kg, and other small pieces such as duck feet, chicken feet and animals with fine internal organs need not be marinated.

In addition, in the process of marinating, different meats need different salinities. For example, pork head meat and chicken feet are marinated together. Pork head meat may be salty, but chicken feet are definitely salty. Why? Because the pig's head is too thick and the body is big, and the chicken's feet are too thin and small, the brine is of course light and salty. How to solve it? The most direct method is to marinate thick meat together, thin meat together and small meat separately, which can better grasp the salinity and avoid the dishes from being too salty. Another solution is to marinate thick meat in advance and then marinate it with thin meat (marinate thick meat first and add salt in proportion).

After the meat is cooked in a small pot (without salt), the salt taste is basically the same. This method is aimed at the friends who have limited processing space. Generally, it can be pickled in different pots, so try to pickle in different pots. Finally, there is another factor that determines the taste of braised dishes, that is, the temperature. Heat is also important. If you just marinate it raw and eat it out of the pot, the salty taste and fragrance will definitely not be enough. It will be easier to taste if it is marinated soft, and it will be more delicious if you soak it in brine for a while after turning off the fire.

On the basis of determining the salty taste of braised dishes, let's talk about the braised and meaty taste of braised dishes.

As mentioned earlier, the braised pork's pot-stewed flavor comes from the spices we use, so we are required to use the correct spices here, and we are also required to have a clear understanding of the functions, efficacy and dosage of various spices. This has been shared in previous articles, and interested friends can have a look. Usually, in a group of formulas, spices such as star anise, cinnamon, fennel, clove, kaempferia kaempferia, angelica dahurica, etc. Will occupy a dominant position, use a large amount, supplemented by white buttons, Amomum tsaoko, Alpinia officinarum, fragrant leaves and other spices. And these spices with the functions of enhancing fragrance, removing fishy smell, relieving boredom and deodorizing will be scientifically and reasonably matched in an appropriate proportion. Only in this way can we increase the pot-stewed taste of our dishes.

Let's talk about the meat taste of braised pork first. As the name implies, it is the taste of meat itself. In order to lock the flavor of meat, we need to marinate some ingredients in different pots in a planned way. If you don't divide the attributes, everything will be pickled in a pot. Such as pork, chicken, beef, duck, large intestine, small intestine, mutton, dog meat and so on. It's all pickled in one pot. Needless to say, these must be mixed, thus masking the taste of the ingredients themselves and not eating the original flavor of the ingredients. Then it is also very important to maintain the brine, filter residue, remove blood foam and remove impurities from the brine. Always keep the taste of brine pure and rich, and the aroma is overflowing. Only in this way, the stew will have a long aftertaste and a lingering fragrance.