Detailed Guide to a Series of Mushroom Food Processing Techniques

Mushrooms are nutritious and delicious, enjoying the reputation of "meat among vegetables," and they also have considerable health benefits. China's annual mushroom output ranks second in the world, and its canned mushroom exports reach 140,000 tons, ranking first among the world's mushroom product exporting countries. In the past, the processed products put on the market were limited to dried mushrooms, brined mushrooms, and canned goods, with a monotonous variety that affected the export rate. Therefore, it is very necessary to develop new mushroom varieties and expand the market. The following introduces 4 methods for processing new varieties.

(1) Method for processing mushroom pickles

1. Salting the base

Remove impurities from the raw materials, wash them clean and drain them. Prepare brine at a ratio of 10-15 kg of salt per 100 L of water, submerge the mushrooms, seal and salt for 1 week. During this period, turn them twice so the salt penetrates evenly.

2. Sauce marinating

After 1 week, drain off the brine, soak in clean water for 1 day, remove, air-dry the surface moisture, and then place into a sauce jar. Marinate in sauce at a ratio of 50-70 kg of sweet bean sauce per 100 kg of mushrooms. A temperature of about 20°C is suitable. During the sauce marinating period, turn once every morning, and after 10 days they can be taken out of the jar.

Mushroom pickles are delicious and can be served both as a side dish and as an ingredient for stir-fried dishes.

(2) Method for processing mushroom pickles (kimchi-style)

1. Ingredients

20 kg fresh mushrooms, 4 kg each of cabbage, celery, lettuce, carrot, and green pepper, 0.5 kg each of ginger, baijiu, and Sichuan peppercorns, and an appropriate amount of white sugar.

2. Raw material preparation

Wash the mushrooms and vegetables clean with clean water, drain the water, remove the leaves from the celery and cut into 2-3 cm long sections, and cut the other vegetables into 5-6 cm long strips or thin slices.

3. Preparation of the pickling brine

Hard water is preferable for the pickling brine (it can help keep them crisp). Add 800 g of salt per 10 L of water, boil, and then cool before use. To speed up the pickling process, a small amount of good-quality old pickle or artificially inoculated lactic acid bacteria can be added to the newly prepared pickle.

4. Pickling

Mix the mushrooms and vegetables evenly with Sichuan peppercorns, baijiu, ginger, white sugar, etc., put them into a washed pickle jar, pour in the pickling brine, cover with a lid, then fill the water groove at the top of the jar with clean water to seal it, and seal for natural fermentation before taking out to eat. This pickle has a unique flavor and can not only be served cold with dressing, but also stir-fried with seasonings.

(3) Method for processing wine-lees mushrooms

1. Raw materials

100 kg fresh mushrooms, 100 kg wine lees, 7-8 kg salt.

2. Lees processing

Wash the fresh mushrooms clean and drain them, bury them in yellow rice wine lees (the lees can also be mixed with 10%-15% edible wine lees of 15-20 degrees), and store sealed for 1 month. This method can first salt and then process with lees, or salt can be added at the same time as lees processing.

(4) Method for processing sweet-and-sour mushrooms

1. Salting

At a ratio of 10 kg salt per 100 kg fresh mushrooms, layer mushrooms and salt one layer at a time and spread them flat into a barrel to salt, sprinkle 1-2 kg of salt on top (to preserve), cover with a bamboo mat and place a stone on top, take them out after 24 hours and drain off the salt liquid, then salt once more at a ratio of 8 kg salt per 100 kg mushrooms, and after 24 hours they become a semi-finished product.

2. Vinegar soaking

Soak the semi-finished product in clean water for 12 hours, pour in edible vinegar, soak for 12 hours, remove and drain off the vinegar liquid (about 3 hours needed).

3. Sugar soaking

Mix the vinegar-soaked mushrooms evenly with an equal weight of white sugar, store in a clean jar, seal, soak for 3 days, then remove and drain off the sugar liquid.

4. Sugar boiling

Pour the drained sugar liquid into a large pot and boil, add the soaked mushrooms, cover with a lid and simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally to make it even, and once it boils again, take it out and spread to cool, and pour out the sugar liquid to cool thoroughly, then pour the mushrooms into the cooled sugar liquid and it is done.

The finished product is sweet with a sour and salty taste. Sealed in a ceramic container and stored for 1 month, it can be served as a tea snack, as a substitute for preserved fruit, and can also be used as a cold dish and seasoning.