How to Dry the Intestines of a Sea Cucumber
The dried, salted intestine of a sea cucumber is known as "konowata," and it is considered a delicacy in Asian cuisine. The sea cucumber also has many uses in traditional medicine. The intestine is easy to harvest and when dried properly can be kept for several years. Harvesting the viscera, surprisingly, does not kill the cucumber. It has the ability to regrow what was removed. Avoid any unnecessary damage to the animal, and you can continually harvest intestine from it. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Clean seawater
- Sharp knife
- Scale
- Baking pan
- Salt
- Wire drying rack
- Smoker (optional)
- Vacuum sealer (optional)
Instructions
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Place your sea cucumber in clean seawater for several days. This empties out the intestine and makes cleaning easier.
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Slice open the body of the sea cucumber to remove the intestine. Start at the anus and cut upward toward the head. The incision should be just large enough to allow you to remove the intestine. The intestine is long and coiled and makes three loops through the body. Carefully remove it. The cut will heal in five to seven days, and the intestine will grow back if you do not damage the cucumber too much.
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Use your hand to squeeze out the contents of the intestine. Be careful to avoid splitting the canal. Start at one end and work your way toward the other end feeling for any debris trapped inside.
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Wash the intestine thoroughly in clean seawater.
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Weigh the raw intestine to determine how much salt to use. The amount of salt will be 10 to 15 percent of the weight.
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Lay the intestine out in a baking pan and sprinkle with one third of the salt. This helps remove excess water and will speed the drying process. Leave the cucumber in the pan for several hours. Drain the pan frequently to prevent water from being reabsorbed.
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Lay the intestine out on a wire rack. Sprinkle with the rest of the salt. If you are drying in the sun, place the rack on a raised platform to keep it free of dirt and debris. Drying in the sun can take several weeks. If you have access to a smoker, the intestine can also be smoked to help speed the drying process.
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Remove the intestine from the rack when it appears brittle. Place it gently into a jar or bag and seal tightly. A vacuum sealer is ideal. Properly dried intestines can be stored for many years. The intestine is susceptible to reabsorption of water, so it may need to be redried periodically to maintain preservation.
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Tips & Warnings
Sea cucumbers are used for many medicinal purposes in Asian cultures; most notably for the presence of chondroitin sulfate, used for joint pain, as well as anti-inflammatory and anti-viral compounds. It is also a high-protein, low-fat food second only to egg whites with its protein ratio (55 percent).
References
- Photo Credit sea cucumber image by Christian Schoettler from Fotolia.com
