The sudden temperature drop made Shenzhen feel cold instantly. In such weather, it’s the best time to have a bowl of steaming soup!

How to make a bowl of soup that is so fresh that it falls off your tongue? In fact, there are many knowledge points.

Principle of making soup to enhance freshness

The production of umami taste mainly depends on two major categories of substances, amino acids and nucleotides. For example, the well-known MSG contains glutamic acid; the main umami substances in mushrooms and meat are guanylic acid and inosinic acid. These are called "fresh substances".

In addition, salt is also the main freshness-enhancing substance. Salt gives glutamic acid a distinct umami flavor. This is why the broth only needs a little salt to be very fresh, but not so salty.

Guide to Fresh Food

1. Kelp

The kombu often eaten in Japanese soup stock is made from dried kelp. For soup stock, the more mature the kombu is, the more fragrant and mellow the soup will be.

2. Seafood: fish, shrimps and shellfish

Glutamic acid, histidine, etc. are the main sources of fish flavor. It is recommended to wait 3-5 hours after slaughtering the fish before cooking, so that the fish will be more delicious.

The content of glutamic acid and aspartic acid in dried shrimps will be very high. The main source of umami flavor in shellfish is succinic acid.

3. Vegetables

Tomatoes

Tomatoes are extremely rich in glutamic acid, coupled with the unique flavor of tomatoes, they can be cooked with seafood and meat. , not only eliminates the fishy smell, but also increases the fresh and sweet taste.

Bamboo shoots

Bamboo shoots are fresh because they are rich in a variety of amino acids. The sooner fresh bamboo shoots are eaten, the better. However, after being left for a period of time, they will have an astringent taste and need to be blanched first.

Soybeans

Soybeans are also rich in glutamic acid, and our commonly used soy sauce and soybean paste rely on it. Wang Zengqi wrote, "Soybean sprout soup is very delicious. Vegetarian restaurants and vegetarian temples in the south all use bean sprout soup to get freshness."

Shiitake Mushrooms

Most mushrooms are delicious. Containing a large amount of guanylic acid, shiitake mushrooms are among the best. The guanylic acid content of dried mushrooms is higher than that of fresh mushrooms, so the dried mushrooms taste more delicious.

Collection of freshness-enhancing techniques

1. Flowing or frying

Generally when we make soup, we boil the meat in boiling water. This process is called "Flying water" can not only remove blood and water, but also remove part of the fat to avoid being too fat.

To make fish soup, first fry the fish on both sides in oil to make the skin firm and not easily broken, and at the same time there will be no fishy smell.

2. Feeding and heat

It is recommended to use cold water for feeding. Boiling water will solidify the protein quickly and make it difficult to bring out the delicious flavor.

When making broth, it is best to boil it over high heat first, and then cook it thoroughly over low heat. When making fish soup, fry it thoroughly in oil, add boiling water and cook over high heat.

Generally, chicken soup, pork rib soup takes about 3 hours, and fish soup takes about 1 hour.

When making soup, if the oil and water are fully mixed, the milk will be rich.

3. The best time to add salt

Add salt at the end. Adding salt early will coagulate the protein and hinder the dissolution of the umami substances.

Winter is coming! Come and learn this soup-making secret and cook a bowl of warm soup for yourself and your family!