How is “prepared” Gui Ban processed?
Gui Ban is processed in the “chao” (toasted) manner. The Gui Ban is put into a cooking vessel with water, tightly covered, and cooked until the flesh separates from the shell. The flesh and water is discarded and the shells are washed to remove the black skin. The shell is broken into pieces and sun-dried. The dried shells are put into a large wok and stir-fried with river pebbles until the shells have reached a golden brown color. The pieces are then soaked in a vinegar mixture and re-dried. It requires about 20 kgs. of vinegar to process 100 kgs. of Gui Ban.
