Cucumaria is often cooked in the Far East and is almost unknown in other parts of Russia. It lives in the Barents, Okhotsk and Japanese seas. In the East, it is considered a true delicacy, because it has not only excellent taste, but also very useful. Description and recipe for cucumaria (or rather, its preparation) can be found in our article. We hope you enjoy this delicacy.
Cucumaria: beneficial properties
About cucumaria as a storehouse of substances necessary for health (vitamins, minerals, valuable amino acids, proteins), today both doctors and scientists are talking. They are developing drugs based on Cucumaria (Holothuroidea class). For those with, for example, low immunity or a weak heart, cucumaria can help. Useful properties can be listed for a long time. Let us dwell on the main ones. So, cucumaria:
- helps strengthen the immune system;
- good for the heart;
- inhibits malignant tumors;
- beneficial effect on the liver and kidneys;
- normalizes the endocrine system and thyroid gland;
- lowers sugar (recommended for diabetes);
- allows you to increase sexual activity;
- useful for connective tissues, joints, nervous system.
The good marine life has become proverbial. The Japanese, for example, argue: "A sound sleep will extend life for three days, dishes from cucumaria - for a month!"
This inhabitant of the sea looks quite unusual. The elongated body has undergone changes recently and has become practically spherical. The color is either dark purple (most often) or brown.
Nutritional value
This characteristic is sure to be useful to those who always strictly monitor their weight. The calorie content of cucumaria is 35 kcal. Moreover, the proteins in it are 84%, carbohydrates - 0%, fats - 16%.
The average "sea cucumber" weighs about 300 grams. Cucumaria can be either a completely simple, independent dish, or part of a complex one. Learn how to cook cucumaria below.
Risotto
You will need : 240 g of arborio (rice), 140 g of frozen cucumaria, 80 g of shallot, 80 g of celery, a clove of garlic, 160 g of parmesan, 40 g of carrots, 40 g of butter and 50 ml of olive, 380 ml of red wine (dry), 50 ml of tomato paste, 0.5 l of broth (from domestic chicken), 5 g of parsley, 4 stalks of thyme, to taste salt with white pepper.
And now - the recipe for cucumaria itself. Two thirds of the thawed pulp of "sea cucumber" cut into strips. We cut the remaining third into cubes. Dice the carrots with celery. We chop shallot. All this is fried, adding chopped garlic, half thyme and tomato (use only butter for frying). The fire should be as small as possible. The contents of the pan should be tender for about 10 minutes, after which we add 60 ml of wine and straws from cucumaria. Continue to simmer until the contents have evaporated by half. Remove from heat and let the cucumaria infuse (at least an hour). Meanwhile, chop the remaining onions and thyme, fry them with rice in olive oil. Pour the remaining wine and evaporate again, adding cubes of cucumaria. In portions (each must be evaporated), pour the chicken broth. When it evaporates, add the grated Parmesan to the mixture. Salt, pour in the cream and remove from heat. It remains to arrange the risotto on plates and decorate it with herbs.
Cold cuts
This cucumaria recipe is one of the easiest. It is also called a meat brace. The only negative is that it will take a lot of time, since it takes a long time to cook cucumaria. "Sea cucumber" to cook will take at least four hours. So, for assortment you will need: 500 g of boiled cucumaria, 500 g of meat, a third of a glass of freshly squeezed tomatoes (juice), a whole large onion, garlic and favorite spices (optional). If you already have boiled cucumaria, it will take no more than an hour to cook the platter. Cut the meat into strips, onions - in half rings. All this fry (with constant stirring) for about seven minutes. The fire should be small (so as not to burn). Now it’s the turn of meat. Cut it into stripes (the same size as cucumaria). Fry, put in a saucepan, add tomato, a little water and simmer. Cooking time will depend on the meat itself: an hour is enough for young beef, 40 minutes for pork, 30 minutes for chicken.
The meat is stewed until soft. Now you can add to it the previously prepared "sea cucumber" and spices. All this is stewed for another three minutes. Served with potatoes and vegetable salads.
Sea cocktail salad
It will appeal to those who love seafood. It is prepared quickly, but the main thing is that it is very useful and in some cases acts like Viagra, since it contains a real mixture of aphrodisiacs. What do you need? Seafood: shrimp (already peeled), mussels, squid, boiled cucumaria (200 grams each), garlic (a couple of large cloves), medium onion, sweet pepper (whole), vinegar (two teaspoons is enough), a third glass of wine (only dry, white), as much cream, a pinch of sugar, greens, spices (optional), salt, a little olive oil (for frying). How to cook? We wash the thawed seafood, let it drain water. Meanwhile, chop the onion, pepper and chop the garlic. Fry it with onions and garlic (a couple of minutes, no more). Cut the seafood (so that the slices were about the same), also sent to the pan.
Salt, pepper, add sugar and wine, mix and simmer, without covering, for about five minutes. With a longer heat treatment, squids will be stiff. If you want a more delicate taste, try adding cream and a little soy sauce. However, this is a matter of taste.
On a note
Cucumaria meat itself is cooked for at least four hours. In order not to waste time each time, you can boil it once, in large quantities, and then divide it into parts and freeze it. In this form, it is stored for about a month and does not lose taste and quality. You can make your own changes to each cucumaria recipe. Experiment!