Spiced brine production is something that many of Raider's friends want to learn despite the effort it takes. Everyone loves Lucai’s food, whether it's stewed chicken wings, necks, or halogen Luya eggs, stewed tofu, or lotus root — they all taste so fragrant. So even if you eat a hundred tires' worth, you'd still be happy to either make a dish for snacks or have it as a main course. In fact, Lucai is good at making things that everyone enjoys. It's simple to do: as long as there is a pot of fragrant enough brine, you just boil the ingredients in it, and it's convenient. Everyone knows that the more brine you use, the more fragrant it becomes. If preserved properly, it will become sweeter over time.
Many of my friends think it's too much trouble to make their own brine at home, so they prefer using ready-made brine from supermarkets, like the one from Lee Kum Kee which tastes really good. However, producing your own brine can be more suited to your taste and is super cost-effective.
So, how do you make a pot of fragrantly scented brine?
Materials for brine production: (calculated with 10 bowls of water) star anise (aniseed) 3, cumin 1 teaspoon (5ml), pepper 1 teaspoon (5ml), licorice 3, cinnamon 1, strawberry 1, dried tangerine peel 1, soy sauce 1 tablespoon (15ml), dark soy sauce 1 tablespoon (15ml), salt to taste, crystal sugar, fatty pork, and a small piece of skin.
Methods for brine production:
1. Wrap all the spices in gauze or put them in a one-time charge box.
2. Pour water into the pot, add all ingredients, and bring to a boil.
3. Heat and simmer for about 40 minutes. Letting it sit overnight makes it better and fuller in flavor.
4. Remove the spice residue and it’s ready to use.
Brine can be used repeatedly and gets better with use. Add flavoring according to the situation. When not in use for a long time, filter it and store it in the refrigerator or freezer. It can be kept in cold storage for seven days, or frozen for three months.
Tips for brine production:
1. Spices can be increased or decreased according to preferences, but I think star anise (aniseed) and cinnamon are indispensable. If you like Ma spicy, you can add chili, pepper, etc., referring to specific methods for making spicy duck necks.
2. Adding a small piece of pork fat makes the brine more fragrant. If you're planning to stew after making the brine, there's no need to put meat in advance. If preparing halogen peanuts, there's no need to put meat, or peanut oil would kick in. If making spiced corned eggs, then putting a piece of meat can make the eggs more fragrant.
3. Brine can be used repeatedly and gets better with use. Add flavoring according to the situation. When not in use for a long time, filter it and store it in the refrigerator or freezer.
This homemade brine is very fragrant and makes delicious spiced corned eggs. You can make more and eat slowly. The more eggs, the tastier the brine. Here's the practice: [spiced corned egg practice]
Spiced Corned Egg:
1. Boil water in a pot, gently place the eggs into the water, cover and cook for 15 minutes.
2. Immerse the cooked eggs in ice water to make peeling easier. After cooling, remove the egg shells.
3. Place the boiled eggs into the brine, heat and simmer for 30 minutes. The longer the eggs stay in the brine, the tastier they become.
The spices used in brine production vary. Here are several methods and materials used:
1. Material: Chuanjiao, star anise, cloves, strawberry, licorice, cinnamon 3/4 cup.
Practice: Fill the bag with sand ginger. Boil eight glasses of water, simmer for about an hour and a half to two hours.
2. Material: Star anise (two), Fennel, pepper (two teaspoons each), licorice (six), cinnamon (a), strawberry (a), Citrus (1/4).
Practice: Carry the bag with the brine feed, plus twelve cups boiling water for thirty minutes.
3. Material: Pork, pig, adding the old mold lobster sauce, cinnamon, orange peel, licorice, fennel, anise, Mangosteen.
Method: Add water and boil for one hour.
4. Ingredients: Soy sauce, refined, star anise, cinnamon, strawberry, 50 grams of ginger, pepper, cloves 25 grams, licorice 50g, water 500 grams.
Practice: First, put soy sauce, cooking wine, sugar, salt, monosodium glutamate on low heat in an earthen pot, and cook for about an hour after adding. Packets of spices and herbs should be immersed in the pot. After the brine is made, it is best to use it the next day.
[Homemade Cantonese-style Chicken Brine Jane]
Practice:
1. Clean the raw chicken with salt and Jane powder, use hot water (add ginger) to fully remove the smell.
2. Add half a branch of Lee Kum Kee’s brine into the pot, add water, put ginger and garlic, two bay leaves, open and simmer gravy.
3. Put the chicken marinade and boil for thirty minutes to Jane. If you turn off the heat and let it soak longer, it will be more tasty. If you like it sweet, add some sugar in the marinade with the halogen Riga, or if you like spicy, cook it that way.
Figure 1: Chicken Jane is cooked in Luzhu. Slice it on a plate, and it pairs well with drinks!
[Chin] Homemade brine duck chin first bought, be sure to thoroughly wash clean because there may be asphalt on the duck when you buy it, which is terrifying. Don't rush washing; slowly wash each part one by one, including the duck’s throat. This part is meant to be eaten.
Next, we blanch the duck chin with boiling water to remove the blood smell. Then prepare the material. To make a delicious duck chin, the important material is the sauce. You can buy ready-made sauces. I like to use the sky card brand from Guangdong, which guarantees quality.
I used a rice cooker to make this beautiful duck chin. The benefit of using a rice cooker is that it won't stick at the end, and the temperature is relatively uniform, so it cooks slowly, allowing the taste to seep in gradually.
First, put oil in the pan, then add a few slices of ginger into the hot oil until golden brown. Then add the duck chin and slightly fry it. Once colored, you can add the sauce because the sauce itself is already flavored, so you don’t need to add other seasonings. I added some sugar, mainly for salty brine, salt, and looked fine, you can also add a little water.
After putting everything away, you can do other things. Remember to turn the duck chin occasionally, or it might become tasteless. Don't worry about it sticking at the end because the sauce doesn't dry out easily. I continued until there was a lot of sauce left, then placed the duck chin on top. The remaining sauce can be fitted into a small bowl for later use, certainly not wasted.
Come on, now you can eat!
For homemade brine production, such as for goose, money belly, spiced corned egg, etc., I haven't photographed the process yet. For the money belly, I bought it from Jusco. First, wash it easily with vinegar for about ten minutes, during which you can start boiling water with ginger, white pepper, pepper powder, star anise powder to taste (a small bottle sold in the supermarket), then add a little soy sauce, salt, chicken, sugar. Dip the cleaned money belly into the boiling water. Cover the cap, pressure-cook for 30 minutes, then pick up and slice.