Comparing with making Japanese traditional dried persimmons aka “Hoshigaki” (干し柿), semi-drying persimmon slices is very easy and required only 1 or 2 days. There are many recipes using the oven in your kitchen, so I am going to talk about my sun-drying method.
Dried persimmon slices can be yummy snacks or appetizer on cheese board, and can be added to salads, bread, and sweets like other popular dried fruits.
About Persimmons
About Japanese persimmons, health benefits & side effects, shopping & storage tips.
Benefits Of Sun-Drying
The flavor and nutrition are condensed, so the dried food becomes rich in sweetness and nutrition even in a small amount.
With a crunchy texture, you can enjoy a texture that is different from raw foods.
Dried fruits are packed with both insoluble and soluble fiber.
Insoluble dietary fiber is effective in weight loss, constipation, and preventing intestinal diseases. Soluble dietary fiber adsorbs food components, such as fats, proteins, or carbohydrates, suppresses cholesterol absorption, and prevents a rapid rise in blood sugar level after meals.
Semi-dried foods are not fully dried, so you can’t expect to store them in long term. The period of time to store is almost the same as raw foods. Generally, it will last for about 5 days in the refrigerator, and in the freezer for 1 week.
Climate Conditions
Not like vegetables with less water contains vegetables, you need extra caution to prevent mold and mildew when drying juicy fruits and vegetables.
If you live in a place in a hot and humid area, you may choose the oven-dry method.
Anyway, the persimmon season is around October through February, especially sunny days from fall to the beginning of winter is perfect because of dry air.
Choose consecutive sunny days.
Dry the persimmons while the sun is up, and put them inside at night.
More Details
Ingredients
Prepare firm Fuyu Persimmons.
For making semi-dried persimmons, “astringent persimmons” are not suitable as I talk about here.
The period of semi-drying is not enough long to remove powerful astringency in them.
Such as “Hachiya”, “American persimmons” are categorized into “astringent persimmons”.
How To Slice Up Persimmons
This is what I do that you don’t need to follow exactly. Feel free to find your favorite way.
I cut a stem off first and slice vertically persimmons into 0.5 inches.
When I cut them into 0.25 inches, I wanted a more juicy pulp so this is the perfect size for me.
It depends on your taste, but I don’t recommend thicker than 0.5 inches because it needs more time to dry and there is a risk of growing mold.
If you use seedless persimmons, some fruits have white fluffy cores which become an unpleasant texture.
Remove those before drying if you care.
How To Make Semi-Dried Persimmon Slices
To prevent persimmons are contaminated, use disposal rubber gloves or tongs after sanitizing persimmons with boiled water.
Semi Dried Persimmon Slices
Equipment
- Sun-drying net, flat basket, oven rack
Instructions
- Rinse persimmons.
- Peel the skin. Cut persimmons into 0.5 inches. Not too thick and not too thin. Try to make the same thick slices.
- Place slices on a plate and pour boiled water on them.
- Instantly put them on a piece of kitchen paper.Do not touch slices with a bare hand.
- After wipe moisture out, place slices on a sun-drying net, a basket, or an oven rack. Make sure they are not touching each other.
- Sun-dry it during the sun is up. Once turn over.
Cooking Ideas
You can use Japanese traditional persimmons instead of semi-dried.
As Appetizer
It is kind of popular persimmons are great with cheese. Especially, dried persimmons are very sweet and go well with cream cheese and brie cheese.
It can be a unique appetizer for the dinner party!
As Salad Topping And Dressing
Persimmons are packed with excellent nutrition, so you may want to intake as liked. Not only toss the semi-dried persimmons on a daily salad but also you can make a unique dressing with it.
Finely chop the dried persimmons, put them in a bowl, add salt, pepper, vinegar, olive oil, and honey. Mix well and rest for a while. The semi-dried persimmons are going to soften and combined better.
As Adult Night Snack
Pickle semi-dried persimmon slices into your favorite liquor such as brandy, rum whisky, and rum for few days until persimmons absorb the liquor.
This way also saves over-dried persimmons that is too hard to chew.
Use a container or a jar, and make sure persimmons are fully pickled with liquor.
Sometimes persimmons get a powerful alcoholic flavor, eat with cream cheese helps to eliminate the alcoholic flavor.
Last Thoughts
When you get hungry, enjoy homemade semi-dried persimmon slices filled with sweetness.
It’s also great to use for making sweets and bread like other dried fruits.
But it is hard to save for cooking because semi-dried persimmons are too good to stop eating!
