Brilio.net - Fern vegetables are a food ingredient that is often used in traditional cooking. Ferns thrive in tropical climates, such as Indonesia. This plant has a unique circular shape and is known to be rich in nutrients, such as fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
In various regions, fern vegetables are processed into various dishes, from stir-fries to curries. With its soft texture and distinctive taste, fern vegetables are often a favorite food menu for many people. Usually fern vegetables will be consumed with warm white rice and appetizing side dishes.
However, despite its high popularity, not everyone is familiar with how to process ferns. This includes the storage process. The reason is, fern vegetables that are not stored properly can turn black. This condition often occurs when ferns that have been purchased are not cooked immediately and are left at room temperature for a long time.
Well, to prevent this, you can imitate the trick shared by TikTok user @queen.oftea when storing ferns. In one of the videos she uploaded, she initially showed the condition of the fern vegetables that had turned black because they were placed at room temperature.
"If left outside, it will turn black and rot," said TikTok/@queen.oftea as quoted by BrilioFood on Tuesday (20/8).
photo: TikTok/@queen.oftea
So that this can be avoided, he admitted that he did not immediately store the fern vegetables in the refrigerator. However, the fern vegetables were processed first by boiling them before being stored. First, prepare water and boil it until it boils. When it boils, add the washed fern vegetables. It doesn't need to be too long, just boil the fern vegetables until half cooked.
photo: TikTok/@queen.oftea
Next, drain the fern vegetables until the water is completely gone. Then put it in a container and store it in the refrigerator. This will make the fern vegetables last longer and the color will remain bright green. After being stored in the refrigerator, the fern vegetables can be cooked directly as usual. Because previously the fern vegetables were only half-boiled, so you don't need to worry about the texture being soft when cooked again.
With this processing method, it is guaranteed that the processed fern vegetables will be more appetizing. Basically, boiling ferns helps stop the activity of enzymes that can cause discoloration and quality degradation. These enzymes can cause vegetables to turn brown and lose their freshness if left alone. Therefore, the heating process when boiling ferns is important to kill these enzymes, so that the vegetables remain fresh and brightly colored.
On the other hand, boiling fiddlehead ferns also helps reduce the risk of rotting and bacterial growth that can affect the taste and appearance of the vegetable. By eliminating microorganisms on the surface of the fern, the vegetable lasts longer when stored. With this technique, the fern can remain fresh and brightly colored when stored and cooked again.