how to make chen pi or dried mandarin orange peel?!
Answers:
1
Use a thin skinned citrus fruit -- such as clementines, tangerines and tangelos. Oranges with thicker skin can be used, however the white part is bitter (though nutritious). You want some of the white part, but not too much. If you are using a thick skinned orange, use a vegetable peeler or knife to cut strips of zest and white away from the fruit.
#2
Wash the fruit, and peel it. A couple of tangerines will provide a lot of peel, so you can pick over the pieces for the larger and cleaner looking bits, and those with a healthy looking "zest". (Zest is the bright orange, pebbled part of the skin, where the aromatic oils are.)
#3
Lay the peels on a rack in a dry, ventilated space. They will curl up and ventilate themselves pretty well, even if you don't have a rack. You should turn them every so often.
If you live in a very humid climate, however, you may want to use a dehydrator.
#4
Once they are dry, put them in an air-tight jar, or a zip loc bag, and your dried tangerine peel will keep for months. Even longer in the fridge.