How to dry eggplants for the winter at home correctly: 3 best ways
Drying is one of the most ancient methods of preserving vegetables, fruits, berries, herbs and mushrooms. It takes less time than conservation. The resulting product requires less storage space. But the main advantage lies in the fact that in dried products, useful substances and vitamins are maximally preserved for a long time.
Eggplants, like other vegetables, are also harvested for future use in various ways. Consider how to dry eggplant for the winter at home.
The content of the article
Why Dried Eggplant Is Good
Fresh eggplants contain ascorbic and nicotinic acids, carotene, riboflavin, solanine-M, thiamine, fiber, tannins, hemicellulose, phosphorus, potassium, iron, manganese, zinc, cobalt, sodium, calcium and copper.
Eating eggplant improves the functioning of the heart, liver and kidneys, helps cleanse intestines and biliary tract, prevents the development of atherosclerosis, lowers blood cholesterol levels, removes excess salts from the body. They are used to treat hypertension, anemia and gout.
Eggplant - dietary (0.1-0.4% fat, 0.6-1.4% protein, 2.8-4.6% sugar) and low-calorie product (33 kcal in a boiled vegetable), so they are recommended for those who want to lose weight or eat well.
Eggplant not stored for long raw (1-2 months), so they are canned, frozen and dried.
When frozen, eggplant loses about 20% nutrients, with conservation - up to 40%. With proper drying, almost all nutrients are preserved in the vegetable. Therefore, dried eggplant does not lose its beneficial properties.
Other ways to prepare eggplant:
How to freeze eggplant for the winter
Preparing vegetables for drying
It is better to choose eggplants of the same size and degree of ripeness... Small fruits with small seeds, not overripe, are suitable. The skin should be smooth, thin and free from damage.
Most suitable varieties for drying - Diamond, Early Czech, Helios. Their fruits have less seeds and bitterness.
Council. To remove the bitterness from the eggplant, soak the slices in cold salted water for 15 minutes. Then dry with a paper towel.
The vegetables are washed in running water, dried with paper towels, cut on both sides. You don't need to peel off the eggplant or cut as thin as possible so that more nutrients are preserved.
The cutting method depends on what kind of dishes you plan to cook.:
- for casseroles and roast eggplants - in slices 1-2 cm thick;
- for soups, stews and caviar - cubes;
- for salads - thin strips;
- for cutting, use a Korean carrot grater or cut it by hand;
If you make a blank for stuffed eggplant, vegetables are dried in halves. To do this, cut the eggplants lengthwise, take out the seeds and pulp with a spoon. A thin layer of pulp (up to 1 cm) and skin remain.
Drying of the whole vegetable is possiblebut it is longer.
Read also:
The eggplant variety "Almaz", which is loved by summer residents
How to dry eggplant at home
Eggplants are dried at home in several ways... The choice depends on the availability of time and accommodation.
In the oven
Put the vegetables on a baking sheet, place in the oven and dried at low temperature (40-60 ° С)... At higher temperatures, beneficial properties are lost. During drying, keep the oven door slightly ajar (5–10 cm) so that the evaporating moisture can escape. If there are several trays in the oven, they are changed every half hour so that the vegetables dry evenly. Drying time is 3-6 hours depending on the size of the pieces.
In an electric dryer
The prepared pieces are laid out on the bottom. electric dryers. The instructions for the device must indicate the temperature at which the eggplants are dried and the weight of the vegetables to be loaded. Drying takes 20-27 hours. It depends on the model and power of the device.
On open air
Sliced eggplant strung on a string and hung in the shade, in a ventilated place... Drying time depends on weather conditions (3-5 days).
Also, chopped vegetables can be spread out on paper.... To dry evenly, they must be turned over periodically (morning and evening). In this case, the process will take 5 to 7 days. The finished pieces rattle like wood, and the whole dried fruit - like a baby rattle.
How to make eggplant chips
Delicious and healthy chips are prepared from eggplant in an electric dryer... The recipe is simple.
It takes 3 eggplants... The vegetables are washed and cut into long thin strips.
Prepare the marinade, for which they mix:
- 100 ml of vegetable oil;
- 70 ml soy sauce;
- 2 teaspoons of honey;
- ¼ teaspoon of cayenne pepper;
- ½ teaspoon of paprika.
The strips are dipped in the marinade for 2 hours... Then they are wiped with paper napkins, laid out in an electric dryer and dried for 24 hours at a temperature of 40 degrees.
The result is a spicy crispy chip.
How and where to use dried eggplant
Dried eggplants are boiled, stewed, baked... But before cooking, they are restored by soaking in hot water.
The holding time depends on the size of the pieces:
- a whole vegetable is soaked for 30-40 minutes, the amount of boiling water is 2-3 times more than the volume of the vegetable;
- pieces and rings 1–2 cm thick are soaked for 15–20 minutes, the volume of water is 3 times more than dry vegetables;
- thin straws are soaked for 5-10 minutes, pouring so that the water covers the vegetables.
Then the excess water is drained... Further, the recipe does not differ from the preparation of fresh vegetables.
For some dishes (soups, stews) dried eggplants do not need to be soaked beforehand. They will absorb the broth as they cook.
Dried vegetables are also ground into powder and added to recipes to add flavor and thickness... But it should be borne in mind that in the process of swelling, the product will take in more moisture.
Eggplant powder is used for breading cutlets, zraz and meatballs.
Dry vegetable is also used for medicinal purposes.:
- Powder from dried eggplant is taken for the prevention of liver and kidney diseases, 1 tbsp. spoon a day.
- For the treatment of hypertension, dry eggplant slices are ground into powder and taken 1 teaspoon per day before meals.
- To strengthen the gums and teeth, use a powder infusion: 1 tbsp. pour a spoonful of 1 tbsp. boiling water, cooled to room temperature, add 1 teaspoon of salt and rinse your mouth.
Powdered powder (1 teaspoon per day) helps to cope with nicotine addiction in people who quit smoking... This is because the vegetable contains nicotinic acid. And the powder added to the toothpaste in a 1: 1 ratio relieves smokers from nicotine plaque on their teeth.
Terms and conditions of storage
Store dried eggplant in closed glass jars or linen bags. Banks are placed in cabinets and bags are hung in a dry room.
Shelf life - from 6 to 8 months.
Conclusion
Eggplant contains many nutrients. Competent drying allows you to preserve them as much as possible. The choice of method depends on personal preference. In the oven, vegetables dry faster, outdoors - longer.
If dried eggplants are reconstituted (soaked in hot water) before cooking, their cooking will not differ from fresh vegetables.It is possible to use in food and powder obtained from dried eggplant. Harvesting in this way will diversify the diet with a low-calorie dietary vegetable all year round.