The secret to making shrimp paste smell good

Shrimp paste is very popular in the coastal areas of my country. It is a sauce made by adding salt to small shrimps and then fermenting them. It tastes relatively salty and has a good seasoning effect. Many people find that the shrimp paste has a bad smell when making it. This is related to the poor fermentation of the shrimp paste and the quality of the shrimp paste. If you want the shrimp paste not to smell bad, the ingredients are very important, and the disinfection and sterilization of the selected utensils are also relatively important.

Characteristics of Shrimp Paste

Good shrimp paste is purple-red in color, viscous, has a fresh and fragrant smell, no fishy smell, a delicate texture, no miscellaneous fish, and moderate saltiness. Since shrimp paste is a stored fermented food, the protein will break down into amino acids during storage, giving it a unique fragrance, delicious taste and endless aftertaste. Moreover, the calcium contained in the shrimp is broken down into calcium that is easily absorbed by the human body, and the fat is converted into fatty acids. Therefore, shrimp paste is also a rich source of high-quality protein, calcium and fatty acids.

Storage method

It is best to store it in a jar or a wooden barrel. It must be tightly sealed to prevent rain and water, and stored in a cool and ventilated place. After opening the tank to take goods and selling them, they must be covered in time to prevent flies from biting, contamination, maggots, insects, mold and deterioration. If you find that there is bubbling and it has not yet deteriorated, add a little white wine in time and keep it sealed. If it has become soaked, spoiled, or has a bad smell, it cannot be eaten.

How to use shrimp paste

There are many ways to eat shrimp paste. It can be used as a seasoning for various cooking and hot pot, and it can also be used to make many unique and delicious side dishes, such as steamed shrimp paste with eggs, stewed tofu with shrimp paste, steamed shrimp paste with chili, etc. The easiest to make is egg and shrimp paste pancake. After heating the oil, pour in shrimp paste, add chopped onion, chopped garlic, dried red pepper segments, a little rice wine and vinegar, fry until cooked, pour in beaten eggs and fry into a pancake. If you eat it in spring, adding a little toon will make it taste better.

Precautions

Although it tastes delicious and unique, nitrite will be produced during the pickling and fermentation process. Nitrite can be converted into nitrosamines in the acidic environment of the gastrointestinal tract, which is a carcinogen that has been identified in animal experiments and has teratogenic and mutagenic effects on animals. Data shows that in the coastal areas of Shandong and Liaodong, people have had the custom of eating shrimp paste for thousands of years, but at the same time these areas are also high-incidence areas of digestive system cancers such as esophageal cancer and gastric cancer. It can be seen that shrimp paste can only be used as a seasoning and should not be consumed in large quantities. When eating shrimp paste, it is best to eat more fresh vegetables and fruits rich in vitamin C, which can block the synthesis of nitrosamines in the stomach. In addition, since the salt content of shrimp paste is generally around 30%, people who need to limit their salt intake, such as those with kidney disease, hypertension, diabetes, coronary heart disease, etc., should not eat it.