How to soak dried squid? It usually takes more than 1 day, and it can be completed on the same day if it is urgently needed.
The steps are as follows:
(1) firstly, cut the dried squid into pieces about 3cm wide and 4cm long, put them into a boiler and soak them in cold water 1 hour or so, decant the water, put soda ash into it, and then soak them in cold water or warm water, with a porcelain plate covered on it to prevent the squid from floating out of the water. Squid whiskers are delicate and cannot be mixed with squid slices to swell. Instead, they can be torn off and swelled separately.
(2) The squid is soaked in the oven for 10 hour. By the next morning, the alkaline water in the oven is poured into the cauldron together with the squid, and then cold water is added to boil it. When the squid slices are boiled, they will shrink and then expand. When the squid slices are fully expanded, they can be poured into the oven together with the squid with water, and covered for later use. Squid will not go bad because it is soaked in alkaline water. However, if the squid slices are found to be dissolved, appropriate amount of vinegar should be added immediately to save them (for urgent use, soak them in warm water and alkali for 2 hours before cooking).
(3) According to the amount used that day, take the squid out of the pot, remove the eyes and broken bones, enlarge the steaming bowl, soak it in boiling water 1 hour or so, then change the boiling water for three times in a row, in order to make the squid spit out the alkaline taste, and then cook it as needed.
In addition, the swelling of dried cuttlefish is basically the same as that of squid. Because the cuttlefish is small, it is not necessary to cut it into small pieces to swell, and the epiphysis can be removed according to the swelling steps of squid, and the whiskers of cuttlefish should also be selected separately.