How to soak kelp to make it swell well

Kelp is now a very common food. Kelp salad is served as an appetizer at dinner parties, wedding banquets and other occasions. However, many people do not know how to soak kelp properly when making it themselves, and sometimes it cannot be soaked enough, which makes it inconvenient when making it. So how can you make it soak well? This article introduces the method of soaking kelp. Let’s learn together.

Kelp is a seaweed plant that grows in low-temperature seawater. It is a vegetable with high nutritional value. It also has certain medicinal value and is rich in mineral elements such as iodine. Common kelp is dried. After buying dried kelp home, it needs to be soaked before it can be eaten.

Step 1: Prepare the dried kelp

Step 2: Steam the kelp. Take an appropriate amount of dried kelp according to personal needs, without any water (remember!). Fold it according to the size of the steamer and put it into the steamer. Put enough water in the steamer to prevent the pot from burning dry. Steam over high heat for 20-30 minutes, and simmer for 10 minutes after turning off the heat. (Dried kelp to be steamed) (Steamed kelp)

Step 3: Soak the kelp. After the kelp has cooled down, take it out of the steamer, prepare a clean container, put in cold water (remember), put the steamed kelp into the container, and the water must cover the kelp. Soak for 10-12 hours, changing the water 2-3 times. If there is mud and sand when changing the water, wash it off. After 10-12 hours of soaking, the kelp is ready. The soaked kelp is moderately soft and hard, and its color is dark green or brown!

(Soaked kelp) Cut the soaked kelp and take a look. The kelp meat is thick.

(Cut it open and observe) For good kelp, the general soaking ratio is 1:5. That is to say, if 1 jin of dry kelp is soaked in the right way, you can soak it into about 5 jin of fresh kelp.

It can be used for stir-frying or stewing. If it is still not soft enough when served cold, you can cut it into shreds and boil it in a pot for 5 minutes. Remember to pour a little vinegar into the pot. After taking it out and rinsing it with cold water, it will become soft and crispy again.