The practice of "salt baking" is also called "salt baking" or "salt simmering" in some places, and some old masters in Guangdong will use the term "salt steamer" to describe it. This method is quite special, because salt is a poor conductor of heat and is not conducive to heat transfer. However, if a large number of coarse salts are piled up and heated together, the heat dissipation effect will become quite slow, and the "salt baking" method It is precisely by taking advantage of this that the raw materials are slowly "baked" in a pile of coarse salt until they are mature.
Several ways to make salt-baked dishes:
1. Salt-baking
Also known as "ancient baking", it is a raw baking method, that is, salt-baking The raw ingredients are slightly marinated with seasonings, then wrapped tightly in tissue paper, cellophane paper, or jade paper, and then placed in a pile of heated coarse salt and baked until cooked. The flavor is excellent. Representative dishes of this method include:
Paper-wrapped salt-baked chicken
Ingredients:
A farmhouse three-yellow chicken with a gross weight of about 3 pounds and a net weight of about 2 pounds , 3-4 packs of coarse salt, a piece of tissue paper, cellophane, or jade paper, a little each of ginger slices, green onions, raw oil, refined salt, and sand ginger powder.
Method:
1. Add some refined salt to a small amount of five-spice powder and stir-fry until fragrant to make Huai salt. Set aside.
2. Kill the chicken, disembowel it, remove the internal organs and wash them. After absorbing the water, rub the chicken body and inner cavity with Huai salt, stuff ginger slices and scallions into the belly of the chicken. Insert the chicken feet into the belly from the tail, stuff the chicken head into the throat opening, and wrap it tightly with paper.
3. Heat up the coarse salt, pour half of it on the bottom of the deep pot, put in the paper-wrapped chicken, then pour the rest of the coarse salt into the deep pot, cover the paper-wrapped chicken, and then close it Cover the pot and bake over low heat for 30 minutes until cooked (you can also insert the paper-wrapped chicken into a large pot of hot salt and bake until cooked through).
4. Take out the paper, pour out the juice from the chicken cavity, add a little refined salt, ginger powder, and raw oil to make a bowl of salt-baked chicken dipping sauce.
5. Use your fingers to dig out the miscellaneous ingredients in the chicken cavity, cut the chicken into pieces, and put them into the shape of a chicken when putting them on a plate. Just follow with the dipping sauce.
2. Water Baking
This is to first soak the raw materials in hot and salty soup, then separate the bones, meat and skin by hand, and then add sesame oil, ginger and salt. Mix well, form it into a chicken shape and serve it. Some chefs will directly use white-cut chicken to make it. Representative dishes of this method include:
Hand-shredded salt-baked chicken
Ingredients:
One 2-pound heavy-guang chicken, refined salt, ginger powder, and sesame oil A little of each.
Method:
1. First, stir-fry refined salt and ginger powder over slow fire until fragrant to make ginger salt, let cool and set aside.
2. After washing the chicken, soak it in a salty 80-degree soup for about 15 minutes until it is cooked. Take out the chicken head, neck, wings, and feet, and let them sit for a while. After it cools, put on gloves and carefully tear off the chicken skin (try to keep the chicken skin intact), set it aside, and then separate the bones and meat. The bones should be broken and the meat should be shredded.
3. Place the bones on the bottom of the plate, cut the chicken neck into thin pieces, and spread it on the bones. Mix the shredded chicken with ginger salt and sesame oil, put it on top of the chicken neck, and then cover it. Put on the chicken skin (some chefs will cut the chicken skin into several small pieces and then lay it on top), and finally put the chicken head, chicken feet, and chicken wings on top to form a chicken shape, and serve (some chefs will sprinkle some on the surface) A pinch of sauteed white sesame seeds before serving).
But this does not mean that all "hand-shredded salt-baked chicken" adopt this method. Some chefs will use the first method to make this dish. Here is just an example.
3. Gas baking
It is also a cooked method. First, use ginger, green onions, Huai salt, and sesame oil to lightly marinate the raw materials, then steam them and cut them into pieces for the table. , this method is suitable for some customers who are pursuing the traditional salt-baked flavor and want to keep the meat tender and smooth. It is more convenient and fast. Representative dishes include:
Salt-baked young pigeon
Materials:
One 20-day-old squab, 2 packs of coarse salt, ginger slices, green onion segments, refined salt ,, ginger powder and sesame oil a little each.
Method:
1. Add refined salt to five-spice powder and ginger powder and stir-fry until fragrant. Let cool, then mix in sesame oil and mix well. Set aside.
2. After washing the squab, wipe dry the inside and outside, use "1" to spread the whole body and inner cavity, stuff the ginger slices and green onion segments into the stomach, and steam them in water.
3. Take it out, dig out the ginger and green onion from the inner cavity with your hands, cut into pieces and wrap them in tin foil.
4. Heat the coarse salt, pour half of it on the bottom of the pot, add "3", then pour the remaining coarse salt into the pot, cover it, and serve.
In addition to the several methods introduced above, with the advancement of the times, chefs have also begun to come up with their own unique ideas, which has led to other methods of salt-baked dishes:
< p>Oven BakingSome chefs came up with this salt baking method: mix egg whites, salt and flour, pour it into a mold, put the ingredients in, and then cover it with a Layer the salt and bake it in the oven. After serving, use a small hammer to break the outer layer of salt in front of the guests to expose the food and make it more ornamental.
Salt-baked conch
Ingredients:
One pound of fresh small conch, 2 pounds of refined salt, 2 egg whites, and 2 taels of flour.
Method:
1. Blanch the small conches and set aside.
2. Place a mold on the plate. It can be round, square or any shape. Then mix the salt with egg white and flour, and put a portion into the mold. Compact, then put the small conchs in and arrange them one by one, spread a layer of protein salt and compact them. After smoothing the surface, carefully pick up the mold and put it into the preheated oven with the plate and bake it at 180 degrees for 10- --15 minutes.
3. Take it out, serve it on the table, and use a small hammer to break the outer layer of salt in front of the guests to expose the food for the guests to enjoy.
Salt-baked meat crab
Ingredients:
One half-pound meat crab, 2 packets of refined salt, 2 egg whites, and 2 taels of flour.
Method:
1. Make a cut at the belly button of the meat crab to kill it. Brush the whole body with a toothbrush, shake off the water and set aside.
2. Place a mold (larger than the crab) on the plate, then mix the salt with egg white and flour, put part of it into the mold, compact it, and then put the meat crab in , spread a layer of egg white salt and compact it, smooth the surface, carefully pick up the mold, put the plate and the same into the preheated oven and bake at 180 degrees for 20---25 minutes.
3. Take it out, serve it on the table, and use a small hammer to break the outer layer of salt in front of the guests to expose the food for the guests to enjoy.
Warm reminder:
When using this method, you need to adjust the baking time according to the size of the raw materials and the thickness of the egg white salt, because after putting it in the oven, the heat will first The protein salt on the outer layer is baked dry and hard before it enters the raw material.
Return to Salt Baking
The inspiration comes from "Return to Salt Taro". Since sugar can be turned into sugar, salt can also be turned into salt.
Salt-baked Amla crab
Materials:
A few Amla crabs, appropriate amounts of refined salt and rose water.
Method:
1. Slaughter the crabs, brush the whole body with a toothbrush, shake off the water, and set aside.
2. Heat the oil until it is 80% hot, add the crabs and fry them briefly, remove and filter the oil.
3. Add a small amount of rose water to the pot, ladle in a few tablespoons of refined salt, dissolve the salt into concentrated brine, then pour in the crabs, stir-fry slowly over low heat until the brine is dry and thick. The salt sticks to the crab.
4. Take out of the pot, cut the crab into two pieces and serve.
Fried baking
This method can be seen in many kitchens, and the usage rate is very high. In fact, it is also a cooked baking method, similar to air baking.
Salt-baked bamboo chicken
Salt-baked bamboo chicken
Ingredients:
One live bamboo chicken, 2 packets of coarse salt, crispy A little each of fried powder and Huai salt.
Method:
1. Slaughter the live bamboo chicken, remove the internal organs, wash it, chop it into large pieces and set aside.
2. Mix the chicken pieces with Huai salt, dip in crispy fried powder, fry until golden brown, remove and drain the oil, then wrap in tin foil.
3. Heat up the coarse salt, pour half of it on the bottom of the pot, add "2", then pour the rest of the coarse salt into the pot, cover the pot, take it out and heat it for a while 5 Minutes, serve.
Salt-baked water snake
Ingredients:
One pound of water snake, 2 packs of coarse salt, cornstarch, salt, flavored powder, ginger slices , a little each of scallions.
Method:
1. Slaughter the water snake, remove the internal organs, chop into sections, wash and set aside.
2. Put the snake pieces into the pressure cooker, pour in the ginger and scallion water (seasoning) and press for 5-6 minutes. Take it out, pat it with cornstarch and fry until fragrant. Drain the oil and put it aside. Wrap in tin foil.
4. Heat up the coarse salt, pour half of it on the bottom of the pot, put "2" in, then pour the rest of the coarse salt into the pot, cover the pot, and heat it slightly 5 Ready to serve in minutes.
There is another method that is the quickest and simplest, which is to mix the salt-baked chicken powder with oil and stir-fry it with the cooked ingredients evenly.
Salt-baked pork belly
Ingredients:
400 grams of buckled pork belly, 2 packs of coarse salt, one pack of salt-baked chicken powder, green, Add a little bit of red pepper pieces, ginger slices, and salad oil
Method:
1. Cut the pork belly into wide strips, add the pepper pieces and ginger slices to the oil, and drain the oil.
2. Mix salt-baked chicken powder with oil to form salt-baked chicken ingredients. Return "2" to the pot, scoop a little salt-baked chicken ingredients into the pot and stir-fry evenly. After taking it out of the pot, place it on tin foil. Wrap it up.
3. Heat the coarse salt, pour half of it on the bottom of the pot, put "2" in, then pour the remaining coarse salt into the pot, cover the pot and serve.
Salt-baked snails
Ingredients:
One pound of snails, 2 packets of coarse salt, one packet of salt-baked chicken powder, and a little salad oil.
Method:
1. Blanch the snails, pick them up and put them in cold water. Use a toothpick to pick out the meat, wash and set aside.
2. Add salt-baked chicken powder to salad oil and mix well to make salt-baked chicken ingredients. Set aside.
3. Boil the snail shells and scoop them out; add the snail meat to the pot, scoop out a little salt-baked chicken and stir-fry evenly, then stuff the meat back into the shell and wrap it in tin foil.
4. Heat up the coarse salt, pour half of it on the bottom of the pot, add the salt-baked chicken ingredients prepared in step 2, then pour the remaining coarse salt into the pot, and close the lid. Ready to serve.
In fact, making salt-baked food is not only the preserve of chefs, there are also many salt-baked snacks that can be seen everywhere, such as salt-baked eggs, salt-baked quail eggs, salt-baked chicken feet, etc. , its approach can also be changed at will.
A few keys to making salt-baked dishes:
1. Since salt-baking uses the residual heat after heating the salt pile to cook the raw materials, it is best to use raw materials with good texture. Be soft and tender, otherwise the finished dish will taste dull. However, you should not use raw materials that are too tender, otherwise it will be difficult to shape the finished product.
2. When the salt-baked dishes are heated, they are almost isolated from the outside world, and the seasonings are lost very little, so the saltiness should not be too heavy.
3. The paper wrapping the raw materials must be able to withstand high temperatures, and the raw materials must be wrapped tightly enough to prevent salt from entering the raw materials, otherwise it will affect the flavor.
4. The amount of salt should be enough, usually 3 times that of the raw materials, and the temperature should be hot enough. When spreading salt, spread more at the bottom, and it is best to use a deeper clay pot.
5. Heat it slowly over low heat. If you want to maintain a relatively stable temperature, you can put it in the oven.
6. The baking time should be adjusted according to the size, texture, and thickness of the salt. Generally, a raw 2-pound heavy-guang chicken needs to be baked for at least 30 minutes.