How is dried longan made?

How to make dried longan from fresh longan depends on the choice of longan. It is best to choose longan with large pulp and slightly thick shell, because the thickness of shell can be beneficial to making dried longan and can be well preserved. Then cut off the stems of longan to ensure the best level, but don't cut them all, otherwise it will affect the taste.

Soak the selected longan in clear water for about 10 minute, then add a proper amount of salt to remove bacteria and impurities on the surface of the peel, and drain the water after the peel becomes soft. Then put it in a shaker, add fine sand and shake it repeatedly to remove the roughness of the pulp surface, so that longan will become smoother.

After sand washing, longan was washed once with clear water to remove the powder crumbs on the surface, and then put into the furnace for multi-layer baking. Bake with strong fire for 24 hours first, so that each longan is heated evenly. Turn it once after 6 hours, and then turn it up and down every 6 hours until the pulp is reddish brown and shiny.

Then put the dried longan into the bamboo basket, pick out the broken fruit, turn the basket once a day, bake it for the second time in about 4-5 days, keep it for 6 hours, and turn it every 2 hours. You can gently pierce the shell with your fingers until it is dark brown, and then you can finish the second baking. Put it back in the bamboo basket for about 5 hours and it will become dried longan.

2. Sunshine method

Drying fresh longan into dried longan is also the simplest and most practical method. It is best to expose the washed longan in the sun for a day, then turn it over from time to time, seal the longan in a sack at sunset, regain the moisture, store it for a day, then take it out to sun, and turn it over for 2 ~ 3 times until the shell is punctured.

If dried longan tastes good, it can also be dried and baked. First, dry dried longan on a drying tray for 1 ~ 2 days, then put dried longan on a drying bed, keep the temperature at about 600℃ and bake for 12 hours, then turn it over and let it stand for about 2 days, then put it in a sack for sealing and moisture regain, and bake for about 4 hours.