What is sea cucumber?

Sea cucumbers are marine animals with an oblong-shaped outlook and gelatinous texture.

The Chinese name for sea cucumber is Hai Shen, which literally means “sea ginseng,” to refer to its high nutritious values and reputed medicinal properties.

It is valued-along with several other Chinese delicacies, such as birdnest, shark’s fin, ginseng, cordyceps,etc.

The most popular form we see is dried sea cucumber, which is dried right after harvest, known as bêche-de-mer, and requires soaking before cooking.

What are the benefits of eating sea cucumber?

Sea Cucumbers contains high-protein but low-fat, and low-cholesterol.

It helps to:
1️⃣ Prevent cardiovascular diseases & regulate blood sugar
Sea Cucumber is rich in fucoidan, which helps to lower blood fat and reduces the risks of blood clotting.
It also helps to regular high cholesterol, blood sugar and blood pressure.

2️⃣ Improve Arthritis & Osteoporosis
Sea cucumber contains chrondroitin sulfate, which helps to ease arthritis pain and reduce inflammation.

3️⃣ Skin nourishment
The collagen in sea cucumber helps to improve skin elasticity and reduce visible wrinkles.

4️⃣Better immune system
Sea cucumber is rich in 18 kinds of amino acids, mucopolysaccharide, peptide, vitamin, calcium, iron and other elements, which help to enahance cell viability and improve immunity

5️⃣ Wound recovery
The collagen of sea cucumber benefits wound healing and shortens the recovery period. Thus, it’s extremely suitable for postpartum mothers and post-surgery patients

How do I prepare sea cucumber?

Easy-peasy ~
Here are the simple steps to prepare Sea Cucumber:

1️⃣ Wash Sea Cucumber

2️⃣ Soak Sea Cucucmber in cold water with water level fully covering it. Put it in the fridge for 2 days. Change the water in between.
Remarks: Make sure to put it in the fridge to prevent it from turning bad plus to keep its “Q” (chewy and bouncy) texture.

3️⃣ Boil Sea Cucumber for 20-30 minutes. Turn off the heat, cover with pot lid, and allow it to cool down.

4️⃣ Remove the sea cucumber from the water and cut it vertically to remove the internal organs and sand. Wash it and cut into smaller pieces.

P.S. Repeat 2️⃣&3️⃣ steps if you like a softer texture.

5️⃣ Put sea cucumber into boiling water along with ginger, green onion and cooking wine for about 5 minutes before cooking.
Sea Cucumber is ready to be cooked with your preferred recipe. You can also keep it in the freezer for future consumption.

Remarks：
– When soaking fish maw, make sure all utensils are free of oil

How many types of sea cucumber are there?

There are more than 1700 species of sea cucumber worldwide, with only over 40 species are found to be edible.

The edible sea cucumber can mainly be categorised as :
1. Prickly sea cucumber,
2. Sandfish
3. Teat sea cucumber