Each eggplant is white and crispy, filled with a salty taste like the song: ‘Hey, eggplant from Nghe An, the saltier it is, the crispier it is/Green tea from Nghe An, the more astringent it is, the more delicious” 39.
Ingredient
(4)
- 1 kg eggplant
- 500 grams of salt
- 1 branch of banh te galangal
- Chili, garlic
Making
- Choose medium, sturdy, even eggplants (not too big or too small). Peeling the stem requires meticulousness, using a small sharp knife to cut diagonally so that it doesn’t dent the eggplant’s flesh but is still plump, with a little bit of the stem tip left over.
- Spread the eggplants evenly on a tray or flat surface and let them dry in the wind, or in the past, mothers placed them under the bed to let the tomatoes wilt and drain the water.
- Wash the eggplants, drain, then sprinkle with grain salt, ratio of 1 kg eggplant, 500 grams of grain salt (or saltier, the saltier the eggplant, the crispier it is), leave for about 1 – 2 hours. Because of the culinary rule ‘Salt separates, sugar keeps’, salting helps the juice secreted inside the fruit to become more crispy, salt also helps preserve it for a long time. .
- Boil water and let it cool to lukewarm about 35-40 degrees.
- Garlic galangal is sliced or crushed. Wash hot peppers and drain.
- Wash the glass jar, rinse with boiling water, and drain. Pour in all the eggplants and marinated brine, alternating with garlic, galangal, and chili, then pour warm water to cover the surface. Use a round bamboo slat and use a heavy pebble to block it so it doesn’t float on the surface. If you don’t have any, put water in a clean plastic bag, tie it tightly so the eggplant doesn’t float and cause darkening. After a week, the eggplant will be ripe enough to eat. If you want to keep the beans for a long time, increase the amount of salt.
- Finished product requirements: Each eggplant is ivory white, crispy and delicious, with a rich salty taste. Summer meals become more delicious than ever when there are a few salty eggplants eaten with a bowl of vegetable soup or boiled water spinach. Not a seafood flavor, just a salty taste of the countryside, salted salted eggplant from Nghe An is loved by many people and has become a popular specialty.
Attention:
- You should not cut into the flesh of the eggplant, because when salted, it will become mushy, not crispy, and will not last long.
- The eggplant needs to be dried and water drained. In addition, tossing a lot of salt to drain the water is a traditional way to help the salted eggplant become crispy and last a long time.
- After salting, the eggplants need to be submerged in water to prevent them from turning black.
- In addition to traditional salted eggplant, Nghe people also have eggplant soaked in fish sauce. Ingredients include delicious fish sauce, sugarcane, garlic, ginger, galangal, and chili. Sugarcane has a sweet taste, galangal helps make the eggplant crispy, garlic increases the aroma and detoxifies the eggplant, and chili creates a very attractive spicy taste.