When I was a kid, there was always a jar of lard in the kitchen. Grandma often used it for cooking. It seems that it is rarely seen now. Some people say that it is not good for health, but I think lard should be more healthy and natural than trans fats and preservatives seen everywhere.
Let’s count the benifits below:
- Its high melting point makes it suitable for high-temperature cooking.
- It has less saturated fat than butter. Monounsaturated fat content is also higher, which is good for cardiovascular health.Lard is also rich in oleic acid. Also, it has no trans fats.
- The content of cholesterol in lard is about one third of butter. Our body needs fat to absorb fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K. To serve a balanced diet , anything is to have a little, but not much.
Homemade lard is a very simple recipe. The focus is on the choice of ingredients. Choose lard from pigs raised in the pasture. The lard fat is better than that of pigs raised on an industrial scale.
Lard is an essential ingredient for Chinese desserts, and layers of pastry depends on it just like butter in western-style pastry. If you like butter-based cakes, then you can definitely accept Chinese-style pastry used lard.
Stir-frying vegetables with lard can keep nice green color and tender. If you don’t believe it, try it.
Instructions
- Wash the fat, dry it, and cut it into diced.
- Place in a pot and heat over low heat to let the fat melt slowly. (Be careful not to use high heat to avoid darkening the color of oil.)
- The fat finally turns into oil residue and melted lard, filter with a strainer, and pour the melted lard into a bottle. Cool to room temperature, it will solidify. Should be kept in the refrigerator.
Notes: When making Chinese pastry, heat to melt it.
