Pickled eggs, also called salted eggs, are a favorite food of urban and rural people, but the pickling method is very particular. If it is pickled properly, the flavor will be better.
Preparation method:
1. Yellow sand pickled egg method. Prepare 500 grams of yellow sand, 100 grams of refined salt, 50 grams of essential oil, and appropriate amount of water. When pickling, first pour the yellow sand into a basin, add refined salt, essential oil and water, stir it into a paste, then put the washed and dried fresh eggs into the mud one by one, take them out after the eggs are evenly coated with the sand, and put them in the mud. Put it into a food bag or other container and take it out after 3 weeks to wash off the sediment and cook it. If there is no yellow sand, other sand can be used instead. If the sand is not sticky, a small amount of clay can be added.
2. Pickling method with saturated salt water. The amount of water and salt used depends on the number of eggs. When pickling, first dissolve the salt in boiling water to reach a saturated state (concentration is about 20%). After the salt water has cooled, pour it into the jar, put the washed and dried eggs into the salt water one by one, and add a little strong-flavored white wine. Seal the mouth of the jar and place it in a ventilated place. You can open the jar to take out eggs and cook them in about 25 days. The salted eggs pickled in this way have a lot of oil in the yolk and are particularly fragrant.
3. Batter pickling method. Take an appropriate amount of flour, use hot water to make a paste, add a little five-spice powder and white wine and mix well. Then roll the washed and dried eggs into the batter one by one, then roll on a layer of salt, put them into the jar, and seal the mouth of the jar. The salt and batter are melted together, allowing the salt to penetrate into the eggs. They can be taken out and cooked after 25 days.
4. Liquor soaking method. Prepare ingredients for every 5 kilograms of eggs, 1 kilogram of 60-degree white wine, and 0.5 kilograms of refined salt. When dipping, first dip the dried eggs in white wine one by one, then roll in refined salt, put them in a container, seal them in a dry, cool, and ventilated place, and take them out for cooking in about 30 days.
5. Pickling of spicy salted eggs. Prepare a bowl of chili sauce and refined salt, and several washed fresh eggs. When marinating, wash the porcelain jar with clean water, scald it with boiling water and wipe it dry. Dip the eggs evenly in the chili sauce one by one, and then roll them in the refined salt. , then put it gently into a porcelain jar, sprinkle a little refined salt on the top layer, cover it and seal it tightly with kraft paper, place it in a cool and ventilated place, and you can open the jar for cooking after 30-40 days.
6. Pickling of spicy salty wine-flavored eggs. Take thick chili sauce and white wine and mix them evenly in a ratio of 8:2. Put the washed and dried eggs one by one into a rolling bowl and dip them evenly. Then roll them in refined salt, then put them into a porcelain jar, seal tightly, and marinate. It will be ready in 70-90 days. This kind of pickled eggs is spicy red in color, full of wine aroma, salty and slightly spicy, and delicious.
7. Pickling of spiced salted eggs.
Ingredients: raw eggs, star anise, cinnamon, pepper, bay leaves, cumin, white wine.
Required utensils: bottles, jars, jars, jars, ceramics, glass, clay, any container that can hold the eggs you want to pickle. Wash and dry them and set aside.
Method: Make water in a pot (the amount of water should be enough to cover the eggs in the container). After the water boils, add star anise, cinnamon, pepper, bay leaves, and cumin and simmer for 20 minutes. Add salt to the water and slowly dissolve it until the salt water is saturated. Turn off the heat and let it cool and pour it into a container. Wash and dry the raw eggs or air-dry them and gently put them into a container with cooking water. Add a dozen drops of white wine (for sterilization) before closing the lid. After pouring the wine, close the lid tightly (pay attention to the seal). If not If you are willing to eat something too salty, it can be eaten in about 20 days. If you like salty and oily food, it is estimated to take thirty or forty days. After marinating, take it out and cook it before eating (by the way, keep the water for next time It can also be used (just boil it before use). This kind of egg has a rich aroma, is slightly salty and delicious.
Principle of pickling:
1. Pickled salted eggs are mainly pickled with salt. When fresh eggs are pickled, the salt in the salt mud or salt solution outside the eggs seeps into the eggs through the eggshell, shell membrane, and yolk membrane, and the water in the eggs also continuously seeps out. When the eggs are pickled and mature, the salt concentration contained in the egg liquid is basically similar to the salt concentration in the puree or salt water solution. Hypertonic salt causes water to escape from the cell body, thus inhibiting bacterial life activities. At the same time, salt can reduce the activity of proteases in eggs and the ability of bacteria to produce proteases, thereby slowing down the rate of egg spoilage. The penetration of salt and the leakage of water change the original properties and flavor of the eggs.
The amount of salt used to pickle salted eggs varies with regions and habits. When using a high-concentration salt solution, the osmotic pressure is high, the water is lost quickly, the taste is too salty and the taste is not fresh; when the salt content is less than 7%, the antiseptic ability is poor. At the same time, the soaking time is extended, the maturity period is delayed, and the nutritional value is reduced. . In short, using too much salt will hinder the flavor of the finished product, while using too little salt will fail to achieve the purpose of preservation. Based on the weight of eggs, the amount of salt used is generally about 10%, which can be adjusted appropriately according to local habits.
2. Changes in the pickling process As the pickling time increases, the salt content in the egg whites increases significantly, while the salt content in the yolks does not increase much; the water content of the egg yolks decreases significantly, while the salt content in the egg whites decreases significantly. The amount of water does not decrease significantly; the viscosity of the egg white gradually becomes thinner and becomes a water-like substance, while the concentration of the egg yolk increases, becomes thicker and appears in a solidified state; the pH value of the egg white does not change significantly; the oil content in the egg yolk rises rapidly, which is more obvious after 10 days of pickling. , then rises slowly; the oil content of the egg yolk is of great significance to the flavor formation of pickled salted eggs. Due to the loss of moisture, pickled salted eggs lose slightly in weight during the pickling process.
The purity of the salt used in pickling affects the flavor of the eggs. For example, when the calcium and magnesium ion content reaches 0.6% in the salt, it will taste bitter. Therefore, pure salted eggs generally need to be used to make pickled salted eggs. Reprocessed salt or sea salt.
The higher the concentration of salt, the faster the salt will penetrate into the eggs, resulting in faster maturation and shorter pickling time; the higher the pickling temperature, the faster the salt will penetrate into the eggs, resulting in faster maturation and shorter pickling time. Therefore, the amount of salt used during pickling should be determined according to the temperature during pickling and consumer preferences. It is necessary to prevent the eggs from spoiling and prevent consumers from feeling too salty.
When mixed with salt mud or ash for pickling, the salt penetrates into the eggs slowly and takes a long time; when soaked in salt water, the salt penetrates into the eggs faster and the pickling time can be shortened.
The protein of fresh eggs is thick, the penetration and diffusion of salt are slow, and the ripening of pickled salted eggs is also slow; conversely, the ripening of pickled salted eggs will be faster.
To obtain high-quality pickled salted eggs, you must use fresh eggs and flexibly control the amount and concentration of salt, ambient temperature and pickling time according to different pickling methods.