How To Use Lye Water In Cooking

Published: Jul two, 2021 · Updated: Jul two, 2021 by ·

A comprehensive guide to lye h2o (Kansui), a food-class alkaline solution used in many dishes. Recipe for an easy bootleg version is included.

What Is Lye H2o?

Lye h2o (aka Kansui, 枧水), is a food-form element of group i solution that'south used in many cuisines around the world. The fix-to-use, bottled one mainly contains potassium carbonate (K2CO3), a white alkali table salt that'southward soluble in water.

It looks similar ordinary h2o: clear, transparent and odourless. But when you add it to water, the mixture will announced slightly cloudy.

What Does It Do In Nutrient?

In full general, lye water exhibits the following functions in the food production process:

Information technology gives a yellow tint to food
Information technology lends a balmy only noticeable alkaline flavour
It neutralizes the acid in food
It's used to preserve/cure sure foods

Recipes That Crave Lye H2o

You might not be familiar with the term lye h2o, only highly likely you've eaten nutrient that contains this ingredient. Yous can find information technology in ramen noodles, Chinese mooncakes, pretzels, bagels, tortillas, cured olives, and many other foods.

Here are some classic Chinese recipes that use information technology:

fresh homemade alkaline noodles on a tray

Element of group i Noodles (碱水面), aka Ramen Noodles. Lye water helps the noodles to get elastic, springy, and slightly yellow. It also makes them less likely to become mushy when added to broths and soups.

Cantonese mooncakes filled with salted egg & lotus paste

Cantonese Style Mooncakes (月饼). Lye water is used to raise the PH of the dough (neutralize the acrid in the syrup). Information technology also helps to gain an flavory chocolate-brown colour later on baking and a fluffy tender texture.

A classic treat for Dragon Boat Festival. With this informative recipe you will make sweet and savoury Zongzi (Chinese sticky rice dumplings) with ease.

Zongzi (粽子), aka Chinese Sticky Rice Dumplings. My recipe for Zongzi doesn't involve lye water, just in southern regions of Red china, Alkaline metal Zongzi (碱水粽) is very popular. It'south only added to the soaked glutinous rice. Other preparation procedures remain the same.

How to Use It Properly

When lye water is used in moderation (unremarkably a minimum amount), both the color and taste that information technology creates are pleasant. Nevertheless, an overdose of lye water would consequence in bitterness. So the full general communication would be:

Ever follow the quantity suggested in a recipe.
It's ok to reduce the volume if you prefer a lighter color or a milder taste.
Be extra conscientious if yous wish to increment the quantity. Add a tiny bit more at a time to exam.

🛎 NB: Although lye water is perfectly safe to use in food, y'all should never taste it on its own or touch information technology with bare skin. It's important to continue information technology abroad from children.

Where To Buy

Lye h2o is commonly available at Chinese/Asian stores. You should be able to find information technology online equally well (east.g. Amazon). Information technology usually comes in glass bottles. Apart from Lye water or Kansui, the label may show other words similar potassium carbonate solution, 枧水, 雪碱水, etc.

How to Make Your Own Lye Water

Don't accept piece of cake access to shop-bought lye water? Don't despair! It's very easy, and inexpensive, to prepare a homemade version as a substitute.

You lot just need two ingredients for homemade lye h2o: Baked baking soda and water. Mix them at a one:4 ratio. Then you're ready to employ information technology! It couldn't be simpler, right? Read on to discover the why and how.

Why Bake the Baking Soda?

The elementary answer to this question is that you'll create a stronger alkaline substance by heating the baking soda. When mixing it with water, you'll get a solution that acts in a similar way as shop-bought lye water.

Desire to take a deeper understanding? Read what Harold McGee, the writer of On Food and Cooking, has written in his article For Former-Fashioned Flavor, Bake the Blistering Soda. Information technology explains in item the food scientific discipline behind this particular process.

How to Broil the Baking Soda

Follow these steps to broil the baking soda in the oven:

Preheat the oven to 120°C (250°F).
Cover a blistering tray with tin foil (aluminium foil). Spread an even layer of blistering soda over the foil.
Put the tray into the preheated oven. Bake for 1 hour.
Leave to cool naturally then transfer to an airtight container.

🛎 NB: Make sure that your easily don't have directly contact with baked baking soda as it may crusade irritation. Wear gloves if available.

Mix With Water Only When Needed

For the bootleg version, yous'll need to mix baked blistering soda with water at a ratio of 1:iv. That is to say, for case, for 1 teaspoon of broiled blistering soda, you'll need iv teaspoons of h2o to dilute.

It'due south all-time to mix baked baking soda and h2o when you're set to use it for a recipe. Information technology's not recommended to mix them in a big volume beforehand.

🛎 NB: Brand sure you always use a dry, clean spoon to get the baked baking soda out of the container. Also, seal the container immediately after use since moisture would harden the baked baking powder.

Tin can I Use Baking Soda Directly?

You might encounter recipes suggesting that you mix unbaked blistering soda with water. Here are two reasons why you should recollect twice before undertaking this activeness:

When mixed with water, unbaked baking soda creates a much milder alkali solution which will not accept every bit much of an impact on the dishes that you apply it in.
Unbaked blistering soda does non completely dissolve into water (Baked blistering soda does).

▢ Baking soda
▢ H2o

Preheat the oven to 120°C (250°F).
Cover a baking tray with can foil (aluminium foil). Spread an even layer of baking soda over the foil.
Put the tray into the preheated oven. Bake for 1 hour.
Go out to cool naturally and then transfer to an closed container (see annotation i).
When needed, mix 1 part of baked baking soda with 4 parts of water (see note 2). Utilize the solution in recipes for your desired dishes.

1. Practise non touch the baked baking soda with bare hands.

2. Do not premix the solution in big volume when you're not fix to use information technology.

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Nutrition DISCLOSURE: Nutritional information on this website is provided equally a courtesy to readers. Information technology should be considered estimates. Delight utilize your own brand nutritional values or your preferred nutrition calculator to double cheque against our estimates.

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