1. Soak in pure water.
Dried sea cucumbers are relatively hard and need to be soaked until soft. First wash the dried sea cucumbers and put them into a container, then add purified water or cold boiled water. The water can completely soak the sea cucumbers, and then put them in the refrigerator. Change the water every morning and every night until the sea cucumber has no salty taste, which usually takes two days (so long).
2. Go to Shazui.
Take the sea cucumber out of the refrigerator. There is a small opening in the abdomen of the sea cucumber. Use scissors to cut along the abdomen. One end of the sea cucumber has sea cucumber teeth, which are small white particles that feel hard to the touch. Remove the sea cucumber teeth. There are a few white stripes in the cavity of the sea cucumber, which are sea cucumber tendons. They are highly nutritious and can be eaten. Use scissors to cut all the sea cucumber tendons into several sections so that the sea cucumber can grow bigger.
3. Continue to put it in the refrigerator and soak it in pure water for one day, changing the water once during this period.
4. Cook in the pot (key step for success or failure).
This step is the most critical. Purified water should also be used when cooking. The pot should be placed under low heat with cold water. After the water boils, cook for about 30-60 minutes. The specific situation of each sea cucumber is different, so you need to observe it frequently. When you pinch it with your hands, the body of the sea cucumber is very elastic and does not have a hard core.
You can also use a rice cooker with a porridge cooking function, turn it to the porridge cooking setting, and cook for an hour. If it is not done yet, continue cooking. Cooked sea cucumbers should be taken out at any time. Soak the cooked sea cucumbers in ice water to make the meat more elastic.
5. Boiled sea cucumbers generally need to be soaked twice: Repeat the first step for the cooked sea cucumbers, put them into a container filled with pure water and soak them for another two days, changing the water every 12 hours. The size of sea cucumbers has magically increased again.
6. During the entire process of soaking sea cucumbers, keep your hands and containers away from oil, salt, and alkali, otherwise the sea cucumbers will turn into a pot of porridge. It is best to use purified water or cold boiled water when soaking and cooking. The water must fully cover the sea cucumbers. The cooking time of sea cucumbers varies depending on their size, meat thickness, and variety. If the meat is thin, cook it for a little less time. If the meat is thick, cook it for a while. There is no specific time.
It is generally recommended to cook the sea cucumber in a pressure cooker for five to ten minutes and in an ordinary pot for two to three hours. It requires more observation and experience to produce perfect sea cucumbers. Sea cucumbers are not easy to store after soaking, so they need to be eaten as soon as possible. The process of soaking sea cucumbers is cumbersome. It is recommended to soak more sea cucumbers each time, then freeze them individually with water, and then melt them when eating, without affecting the taste.