Chapter 674
During his free time in the afternoon, Su Miao went to the library to look up information in order to make konjac flour smoothly.
Although he had heard Guo Xiaojie talk about the general steps of making flour at school, Su Miao still wanted to know more details. After all, konjac is poisonous, and if it is not handled properly during the process, it is easy to cause problems when eaten.
In the library, the old ceiling fan creaked, bringing a little cool breeze.
The sunlight streamed in through the library window, shining on her focused profile.
Her slender fingers ran across the spines of rows of books, looking for books about agricultural and sideline product processing.
After searching for a long time, he finally found a short article in a book that specifically recorded the processing methods of agricultural and sideline products. Su Miao borrowed the book directly and took it home to study.
When she returned home, Su Yuanzheng had already made konjac tofu with half of the konjac, leaving three for her to do research.
The main production process is peeling - slicing and detoxification - color protection - air drying - crushing and screening.
It was getting late now, so Su Miao could only study it thoroughly and take action the next day.
The next day she got up early, ate breakfast quickly and started "dancing".
She first set up a large wooden table in the yard, and then brought out various tools: bamboo sieve, rubber gloves, stiff brush, stainless steel basin... just like a chemist preparing to do an experiment.
Putting on rubber gloves, Su Miao used a hard-bristled brush to rinse the surface under running water. The skin of the konjac was covered with a lot of dirt, so he scrubbed it carefully, fearing that it would damage the flesh inside.
After scraping off all the skin, she immediately soaked the konjac meat in a basin of clean water to prevent oxidation and discoloration.
Peeling is a technical job. If you scrape it too shallowly and uncleanly, it will affect the quality of subsequent grinding. If you scrape it too deeply, it will waste raw materials.
Su Miao recalled what the book said: "The peeling thickness should be controlled at 2-3 mm," and his movements became more precise.
The konjac is then cut into evenly thin slices, which requires good knife skills.
Su Miao tried hard to hold the knife steady, and after cutting several slices of uneven thickness, he gave up and went to his father for help.
Soak the cut konjac slices in alkaline water for 1 hour to slightly remove some bioalkali.
Su Miao prepared the alkaline water strictly according to the proportions in the book, and then soaked it in a large amount of clean water for half a day, changing the water every two hours.
Because after the konjac is peeled, it will quickly oxidize and turn brown if exposed to the air, so before taking it out to dry, it must be soaked in 0.5% citric acid solution for another half an hour to protect the color.
After a long period of soaking, it is time to dry the clothes.
Su Miao spread the konjac slices flat on the bamboo sieve, keeping a distance of 1cm between the slices to ensure that each slice was fully exposed to the air.
When drying in the sun, you need to turn the clothes over every hour, which is really a test of your patience.
While spreading the konjac chips, she thought, it would be better if she were in the village. There is a baking room in the factory, and the process can be faster. It would probably take several days to dry them like this.
Fortunately, the current weather is very suitable for drying things, and the konjac chips were dried in two days.
The next evening, when Su Miao checked the last batch of konjac chips, he found that they had originally been crystal clear and had become shriveled and hard to the touch, like small pieces of wood.
She picked up a piece and looked at it against the setting sun. She could clearly see the texture of the fibers, each layer distinct like the growth rings of a tree.
Gently break the konjac slices with your hands, and they break with a crisp "click". You can see that the cross-section is porcelain white and the texture is uniform and delicate.
Su Miao nodded in satisfaction. This state was perfect for crushing. She carefully put all the konjac flakes into the dustpan, and with a gentle rub, the brittle konjac flakes broke into irregular small pieces.
The newly purchased grinder came in handy again. The dried konjac chips were crushed into pieces with a soda bottle and then put into the machine in batches. With the "buzzing" sound, the konjac chips were quickly crushed.
In order to prevent the machine from overheating, Su Miao only grinds a small amount of raw materials each time and strictly controls the time.
In order to ensure the grinding effect, start it for 10 seconds each time, stop and level it, and then grind it again. The konjac flour obtained by grinding it three times will be very fine.
Su Miao bought an 80-mesh sieve for filtering. The powder danced in the sunlight, forming a hazy light curtain.
The sifted konjac flour is more uniform and fine, with a light beige color.
Su Miao carefully put the konjac flour into a moisture-proof bag and twisted it with his fingers. The powder was as fine as sand, with a faint herbal fragrance.
"Success!" She cheered in her heart and couldn't wait to try the effect.
Su Miao followed the method his roommate told him, taking an appropriate amount of konjac flour and adding warm water to make a paste.
At first the water and powder were separate, but as she continued stirring, the mixture gradually became thicker.
After adding edible alkaline water, a magical change occurred: the originally thin paste gradually became thick.
It is different from the method used in the previous two days. Previously, it was cooked first and then shaped. If konjac flour is used, it can be shaped first and then cooked.
Although measures were taken to reduce bioalkali when making konjac flour, she always felt that konjac flour that was not cooked at high temperature was still toxic.
So she poured the paste into a large bowl and smoothed it out while it was still solid. The konjac eventually solidified into a translucent gelatinous substance, trembling like jelly.
After it is slightly shaped, cut it into large pieces and cook it in boiling water. After half an hour, the crystal clear konjac tofu will be ready.
The dishes made with it taste the same as those made directly with fresh konjac.
Su Hui, who was helping out, laughed and said, "Oh! It's better to grind it into powder. Aunt Li said it can be stored for a year. When you need it, you can just take it out and add water. It's much more convenient than grinding it into a paste."
After hearing Sister Hui's words, Su Miao's mind became active.
Yes! How convenient! We can harvest and flour konjac in large quantities during the season when the raw materials are abundant. This way, the by-products derived from konjac are not affected by the seasonality of the raw materials and are much more stable.
She had already started thinking: According to Aunt Li, konjac isn't very popular in the market because it's difficult to eat, and the price is low. If it could be made into a side dish and mass-produced...
Our factory has been focusing on producing soft ginger candies and shredded papaya for a long time. Isn’t it time to launch new products?
During the two days of waiting for drying, Su Miao studied many ways to eat it, and the most popular one turned out to be snacks made with konjac.
The recipe for this snack is actually very simple: cut the konjac tofu into long strips, blanch it in water to remove the smell, and then marinate it with a special sauce.
The seasoning is similar to that of shredded papaya, but it has been improved by adding a little chili powder and pepper powder to make the taste stronger.
Put it on a plate and eat it with a toothpick. I can’t tell you how amazing it tastes, but I just can’t stop eating it.
It’s just like eating melon seeds, you want to eat them when your mouth is free.
The neighbors all said it was good after trying it. Even some people who usually can't eat spicy food would rather drink mung bean soup and eat it, and they even asked to buy konjac and make it at home.
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