Why do I like braised food? What’s so delicious about it?

Everyone is making braised dishes. The finished products are mostly deep red, light red or maroon. It is ruddy in color, tastes salty and slightly sweet, crispy and delicious, and has a yellow and fragrant juice. But making it red, shiny, rich and juicy requires a little effort and know-how. Braised method 1. Ingredients selection and processing Braised rice has strong adaptability to raw materials, but the texture of the raw materials has a greater impact on the finished dish, so choosing good ingredients is still the prerequisite for making a good dish. For example, the braised pork should be pork belly, the braised pork elbow should be the front elbow, the braised chicken should be the next year's rooster, the braised fish should be about 1000 grams of carp, etc. Raw materials should be kept fresh, non-deteriorated and free of odor. When processing, it should be based on the characteristics of the raw materials. It can be whole, sliced ??(such as braised pork), cut into pieces (braised fish pieces), cut into sections (braised sea cucumbers), or minced (braised meatballs). However, it is generally not advisable to cut it too small. Too thin, otherwise the raw materials will be brittle due to long-term heating. The general requirements are to be neat and uniform, consistent in size, equal in length, and uniform in thickness, making it easy to cook and taste. 2. The meat should be stir-fried thoroughly, and the fish should be fried until fragrant. The so-called stir-frying means that all the meat pieces in the pot should be stir-fried until they change color, and the fat meat should be oily and shiny. Generally, for meat bought in the market, it is best to blanch it in water first and then stir-fry it. The purpose of blanching is to remove the residual blood and fishy smell from the meat. Do not add too much oil when stir-frying. After stir-frying, you can drain off some of the lard to make it fat but not greasy. If you are making braised fish, the fish must be fresh and fried until both sides are golden brown and there is a thin layer of crust on the surface. This step is the key to forming the luster of the braised dish, otherwise the finished dish will be dull and fragmented. 3. Apply color first, then add water, in one step. After the raw materials are stir-fried or fried, put oil in a clean pot. When it is hot, add Shaoxing wine, soy sauce and other ingredients. After the color of soy sauce adheres to the raw materials, add fresh soup or water (add enough soup at one time, do not add water in the middle, and remember to cover the pot lid), add the main ingredients and bring to a boil over high heat, and skim off the floating foam. , adjust the taste, simmer slowly over medium heat until the raw materials are crispy and tender, allowing the flavor juice to penetrate into the raw materials, and use high heat to thicken the soup. Only by using slow fire can the heat slowly enter the inside of the raw materials, making the raw materials mature and delicious. Use high heat at both ends and medium-low heat in the middle. This is the key to braised vegetables. If you add water before the raw materials are colored, the seasonings will be diluted by the water, and the finished dish will be gray and dull. The soup should be put in enough at one time. It is best to cover the raw materials for roasted meat, and less for roasted fish. If there is too much soup, it will be difficult to thicken the marinade. If there is too little soup, adding water halfway will affect the taste and color of the dishes. 4. Let’s talk specifically about “color and seasoning”. The initial coloring of braised vegetables is achieved at the same time as the cooking process. The braised fish becomes light red when fried in oil. The color needs to be enhanced by sugar, soy sauce, cooking wine, wine, etc. during formal cooking. But be careful not to apply too much color so as not to affect the color. The taste of braised vegetables is mainly salty and slightly sweet. It is mainly seasoned with soy sauce. The amount of sugar should be moderate, preferably less but not too much. Braised dishes pay attention to the original flavor, so the soup should be appropriate. If the soup is too much, the taste will be bland. If the soup is too little, the main ingredients will not be cooked thoroughly. Generally speaking, the soup should be about 2 times the amount of raw materials. When it is cooked, it should account for 1/4 of the raw materials. Remove from heat. Don't tighten the sauce too much. If it's too tight, the soup will become thicker and the characteristics of the braised dish will be lost. Don't thicken the gravy too thickly, add a little water starch to make the juice bright and the gravy bright, and the main ingredients to stand out. Color and seasoning are inseparable. It has the function of seasoning when mixing colors, and it also has the function of color mixing when seasoning. This requires that when the dishes are ready, the soy sauce and sugar should not be added too much to prevent the soup from being too dark and affecting the taste and color. The principle is that it should be shallow rather than deep. 5. Regarding the fire used for stewing, it is generally "slow fire for meat and quick fire for fish." When the raw materials are close to crispy, turn to high heat immediately to thicken the soup. At this time, the taste of the dishes should be adjusted in time to ensure that the taste of the dishes is accurate, the color is red and bright, and the soup is thick when the dishes are mature. How to make braised pork Authentic braised pork recipe [Three types] The first way to make braised pork: 1. Cut the purchased pork belly (the kind of lean meat and fat meat that have been stacked) into 1 cm squares (no matter the thickness, just (length and width); 2. Put oil in the pot (put more), heat it and add a spoonful of sugar (white sugar is also acceptable) (you can put more), stir-fry until it becomes mushy (there should be thick smoke coming out of the pot at this time, Don’t be afraid).

Pour in the cut meat and seasonings (thick slices of ginger, garlic cloves (do not crush them), cinnamon, dried chili peppers, star anise, orange peel (not tangerine peel)), stir-fry over high heat for three minutes, when the meat becomes 3. Add an appropriate amount of salt, one spoon of dark soy sauce, 1/5 spoon of vinegar, half a spoon of sugar, two spoons of cooking wine, half a spoon of chicken essence, and clear soup (cold water is also acceptable) until the meat is covered by 3 mm, and bring to a boil (it starts to boil). (The aroma will become fragrant); 4. Pour into the stew pot and simmer over low heat for 1 and a half hours. At this time, the soup should be very small and thick (if there is too much soup, you can reduce the soup over high heat, but stand aside and watch), add green pepper (The kind of bell pepper that is not very fat), you can add some coriander, then taste it for saltiness, and simmer for another 3 minutes. 5. Serve the dish before saliva drips into the pot, and eat another piece secretly without others knowing. The second method of braised pork: Braised pork can be said to be a common dish. Different places and different people have different recipes. I just came out and offered a dish of braised pork to explain the slander to you, Brother Tao and Sister Tao. When buying meat, be sure to buy pork belly with the skin on. Fatty meat and lean meat are basically equal parts equal. Be sure to buy pork belly with the skin on, otherwise you won’t make it at all. Wash the meat and cut it into cubes, 2 cm square. Do not blanch it with water. Just take a pot and pour an appropriate amount of oil (I use peanut oil). When the oil is hot, put the meat into the pot and fry! The process of frying is indispensable. Firstly, it removes the lard from the fat meat so that it does not taste greasy. Secondly, it can increase the flavor of the meat (personal experience...the fire should not be too strong) and fry until the outside of the meat is slightly golden. , cease fire, take out the meat and pour out the oil. Take another pot, pour an appropriate amount of oil, add onions, ginger, and peppercorns and stir-fry. Special reminder: add garlic, pat it lightly, peel it, do not cut it, put it in whole, at least one head, stir-fry together until fragrant, then Very important – don’t forget the sugar! Rock sugar is best, white sugar is also acceptable, at least 1 tablespoon (I put 2 tablespoons), don’t be afraid of adding too much, meat loves sugar. Then pour in soy sauce, not too much. Be quick or the sugar will burn. After the juice is boiled, pour in the fried meat, stir-fry, pour in water (bone soup is best, but unfortunately I don’t have time to cook it), and then - put it in the pressure cooker! (If you have time or don’t have a pressure cooker, simmer it slowly, at least for an hour. The simmering the better, don’t forget to add water during this period). The water in the pressure cooker should be enough to slightly cover the meat. Add salt, add aniseed, bring to a boil over high heat, cover and simmer for 25 minutes, then stop the heat and let it cool naturally. When the pressure is gone, open the cover, then turn on the heat again to reduce the juice. When the juice is thick, , add a little MSG, stop the heat and take out the pot, until fragrant. The third method of braised pork: Cut the white meat into pieces of appropriate size. Then blanch it in boiling water for 5 minutes and take it out to remove the fishy smell and foam! (Secret recipe: It’s best to add some white wine!) Prepare the seasonings first: peppercorns, aniseed, cinnamon, ginger, green onions, cooking wine, soy sauce. Put a little oil in the wok, add white sugar, and stir-fry the sugar color. When frying, add the prepared seasonings and meat immediately! (As soon as it starts to bubble, add something!) Depending on your personal preference, you can also add some dried chili peppers and stir-fry together. The color will be brighter and the taste will be richer. Once the color is done, you can add water and wait. Boil the water~~~ After the water boils, just lower the heat and simmer! (My personal experience is two hours) When there is not much water left, add salt and reduce the juice over high heat to cook the braised pork ribs. Ingredients: pork ribs, ginger, green onions, spices (star anise, fennel, kaempferol, cinnamon, grass fruits, cloves, fragrant leaves), pepper (a little), salt, monosodium glutamate, sugar, cooking wine, soy sauce (dark soy sauce) Garlic method: Chop the ribs into 4 cm sections and put them in boiling water to remove the blood, remove and wash and set aside. Slice the ginger and wash the green onions. Remove the ends and tie them into a knot (about 3 pieces). Method: Pour oil into the pot, and when the oil is still cold, add sugar at the same time (more, about one part sugar, 2.5 or 3 parts oil) (but I don’t like sweet dishes) (I added soy sauce), slowly stir-fry the sugar over low heat. When the sugar water begins to turn brown and red, and brown-red foam begins to appear, immediately pour the ribs into the pot and stir-fry evenly, then add ginger slices, Sichuan peppercorns and spices , stir-fry until fragrant, add a little cooking wine and soy sauce for coloring, add water, salt and scallions, bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to low heat and cook slowly until the pork ribs cake is soft, then remove the scallions and large chunks of the pork ribs from the pot spices, reduce the juice over high heat, when the soup thickens, add MSG and garlic and serve.