Sweet potato vermicelli

Sweet potato vermicelli

　　Sweet potato vermicelli

　　Ingredients and slurry preparation: Place starch in a mixing basin, add warm water at 35–40°C to allow the crushed starch to absorb moisture and become soft. Stir with a smooth wooden stick while gradually adding hot water at 70°C from the edge of the basin to raise the starch temperature to 45–50°C. Stir vigorously, then add boiling water to gelatinize the starch. Add alum at a ratio of 0.1% and mix well.

　　Dough mixing: Add crushed starch to the basin in portions while using both hands to mix the batter from the top. Mix until no raw starch is visible, at which point the moisture content is about 48%–50%. The dough temperature must be kept above 40°C throughout.

　　Boiling and extrusion: First, fill the pot with water to 80–90% full and bring it to a boil. Then load the prepared dough into an extruder with 10 mm holes, test the extrusion, and then extrude the dough into the boiling water. Once in the hot water, the dough is heated and becomes tough and transparent vermicelli. Keep the water temperature in the pot at around 97°C.

　　Cold bath and drying: Use bamboo sticks to lift the vermicelli and immerse it in cold water to cool, then hang it on racks to dry.

　　Bundling and packaging: Once the vermicelli is dried, bundle and package it for storage or sale.