Persimmon cake processing method

Huanggui persimmon cake, also called crystal persimmon cake, is a flavored food made from persimmons and noodles. Xi'an Huanggui Persimmon Cake is made from "Huojing Persimmon" produced in Lintong County. The characteristics of this kind of persimmon are: orange-red or bright red skin and flesh, small fruit, rich fruit powder, seedless, dense and juicy flesh, and excellent quality.

Persimmon fruit is rich in protein, multivitamins and other minerals needed by the human body. It is sweet in taste and cold in nature. It has extremely high nutritional value and is durable in storage, transportation and easy to use. It is deeply loved by consumers and has good market prospects. Now the persimmon processing and making methods are introduced as follows.

1 Harvesting and Selection

Persimmon fruits have different harvesting periods due to differences in variety, region, climate, etc. They are generally harvested from August to November and are used for processing persimmons. Persimmon fruit is best harvested when the yellow color of the fruit fades and becomes slightly red. Sort the harvested persimmon fruits in time, and select persimmon fruits of similar size, no spots, insect eyes, deformities, intact appearance, and consistent maturity for processing.

2 Wash and peel

Rinse the selected persimmon fruits with clean water, drain them, and then peel them with a paring knife. When peeling, pay attention to using even force to make the peel uniformly thin and thick. It is advisable to not miss the peel and keep peeling. Generally, the thinner the peel, the better. If the skin is broken or missed, make up for it in time to keep the pulp smooth and clean.

3 Sun-drying and pressing

Reduce the peeled persimmon fruits and arrange them evenly in the sieve tray, expose them to the sun, and turn them 3 to 4 times a day to make the fruits evenly dried. , dry evenly and thoroughly. After about a week, repeatedly press and knead with your hands to make the pulp soft and the tissue melt, so that it is soft but not wavy, and melts but not scattered. To process high-quality persimmons, they must be fully pressed. The more fully the persimmons are pressed, the better the quality of the persimmons.

4 Sulfur-smoked and deastringent

Persimmon fruit contains a lot of tannic acid and has a strong astringency. It must be fully deastringent to have a better taste. Place the pinched fruits on fumigation racks. Generally, 5 to 6 layers are placed on each rack with a layer distance of 15 to 20 cm. Use 1 gram of sulfur per kilogram of persimmon fruit. After sealing and burning for 2 hours, open the seal to let the smoke out. Naturally disperse for later use.

5 Pinch and sun-shape

Pinch and dry the smoked persimmon fruit fully. The time of pinching and drying depends on the weather and the degree of glue of the fruit. Generally, it will be dried until the pulp is fully glued. until the flexibility is better. The sun-dried persimmon fruit is reshaped. Generally, the processed shape is determined according to the processing specifications and quality. It is usually made into a round shape with a thin middle and thick edges, and the thickness is kept above 1.5 cm.

6 Shaping Cream

Expose the perfectly shaped persimmon fruits in the sun. After they are set, place them in the warehouse and stack them for 8 to 10 days to make persimmons. . When frost occurs, attention should be paid to turning it up and down to prevent mildew and affecting the quality.

7 Grading and packaging

After a layer of persimmon frost has condensed on the surface of the fruit cake, it is packaged in grading portions and put on the market. Packaging specifications are generally 250 grams per pack, 40 packs per box, and 10 kilograms per box.

8 Storage and consumption

The processed persimmons should be stored at room temperature away from light and moisture. The shelf life is 6 months. Depending on the purpose, they can be used as edible food or medicine; Eaten raw or cooked.

Persimmon processing has six key points

As the saying goes: "In July, there are dates and pears in August, and in September there are a lot of persimmons." The ninth month of the lunar calendar is the season when persimmons are ripe and available in large quantities. Processing persimmons into persimmon cakes is the best fruit for the elderly and children. It is delicious, nutritious, and excellent in dietary therapy.

There are six steps to be followed when processing persimmons:

(1) Fruit selection should be of a correct shape, about 150 grams in weight, fully mature, hard meat, low in water and sugar. Fruits with high quality, no mechanical damage, diseases and insect pests are used as raw materials.

(2) Peeling: Gently remove the raised calyx around the persimmon base with your hands, leaving only the calyx disk. Then use a rotary knife or lathe to peel off the skin. It is required that the peeled skin be thin, no leakage, no re-rotation, no top skin and belt left, only a base about 1 cm wide around the base of the persimmon.

(3) Disinfection level: Make the product meet hygienic standards through disinfection. The method is to soak the peeled persimmon fruits in 0.5% sodium sulfite or sodium benzoate disinfectant for half an hour, then remove and drain. Dry.

(4) Fruit drying is an important part of persimmon processing and is directly related to the quality of the finished product. Therefore, during the drying period, it is best to build the wooden frame in a north-south direction and choose to build it in a ventilated, dry, and sunny place. to fully receive sunlight. Dry for 7-8 days to make the pulp shrink and turn brown.

(5) Knead the cake. When the persimmon fruit has been sun-dried until softened, it must be kneaded by hand (must be washed). Do not pinch too hard in the first pass to avoid breaking the skin and affecting the appearance of the plastic surgery. After 2-3 days, when the surface of the spread persimmon fruit becomes dry and wrinkles appear, continue to pinch it a second time. This pinching is the key to fruit shaping and fruit quality. Use more force when pinching to soften all the hard pieces of pulp. After another 2-3 days, when coarse wrinkles appear on the fruit surface, pinch it a third time. It is best to do it on a sunny day in the morning. Because it is exposed to exposure at night, it is optimal for the water in the pulp to move out, making the fruit surface tough and tough when it returns to moisture, and is not easy to crush. After the pulp is softened, it is shaped into a gong edge, which is intact, and the shape overlaps neatly and beautifully. It is a high-quality product.

(6) Shangshuangguan means that the sugar liquid in the persimmons seeps out of the fruit surface with water and condenses into a white powdery solid called hoar frost. Put the dried persimmons into a jar or pile them on a board, cover them with plastic cloth, and after 4-5 days, when the persimmons soften, take them out and place them in a ventilated and cool place to dry on a windy morning. , there will be persimmon frost coming out. After several times of drying, the frost comes out faster and better each time.