July 23, 2013

Chinese Candied Ginger 薑糖

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The Chinese love ginger when they cook and rightly so.  A bit of ginger makes everything taste better.  Another favorite use of ginger for the Chinese is to expel the cold and inject warmth in the body.  A traditional chinese medicine concept of keeping a certain balance in your body.   

Another favorite way to reap the benefits of ginger is to eat Chinese Ginger Candy, or 薑糖.  A spicy, hot, and sweet treat that is good for your body. (But don't eat too much if you are a "hot" natured body!  It's better for "cool" body types.)

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You will find lots of different ginger candies on the market that have ginger as an ingredient.  But why not make your own Chinese Ginger Candy and skip over the worry about all the weird chemicals (i.e. lead) that show up in candies these days, especially, I'm sorry to say, in food made in China.  This recipe will make a big jarful that you can eat at your leisure!

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Use old ginger if you like hot and spicy and don't mind a bit of fiber in the candy. The photo above shows old ginger.  Use young ginger if you would like milder taste and less fiber.  Young ginger has skin that is yellow and much thinner and more delicate than old ginger.  We use old ginger because we like spicy!

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Chinese Candied Ginger Recipe 薑糖
(Prep time: 3 mins  Cook time: 45 mins) (makes a jarful)

Ingredients:

  • 3 1/2 cups ginger, 200g
  • 1 cup sugar, 200 g
  • 1/3 cup sugar, 67 g

Directions:

Wash ginger and use a spoon to scrape the skin off.  Slice the ginger 1/8" thickness and into the size you would like to final candy to be.  Put in pot and add water to cover.  Simmer the ginger  over low heat for 15-20 mins or until you can pierce with knife.   Add 1/3 of the sugar and simmer for 10 minutes.  Remove pot from heat and let cool.  

Add another 1/3 of the sugar and simmer for 10 minutes, then let cool.  Add the last 1/3 of sugar and simmer.  This time watch the pot carefully, stirring constantly as the sugar gets thicker and turns syrupy.  Lower the heat to prevent burning.  The ginger candy is done when the syrup is thick and clinging and the ginger is transparent.

Prepare a tray with 1/3 cup white sugar spread over it.  Evenly distribute your ginger slices over the sugar and press lightly into the sugar, flip and do the same to the other side.  Be careful the ginger will be really hot!

Let cool.  The ginger candy will harden as it cools.  Store into a clean airtight jar.  Enjoy your sweet and spicy treat!

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4 comments:

  1. I just love candied ginger. I always have them in my purse or when I am on vacation because they are great as a pick me up when I am tired or feel nauseous. But what is the "hot" or "cool" body type you are referring to?

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    1. Chinese Traditional Medicine classifies each person according to your body type, ie, cold, hot, damp, dry or neutral. Since you gravitate towards ginger candies, which are a 'hot' food (the Chinese also classify food into types), I would guess you are a cold body type. ~ellen

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  2. Do you think ginger juice will work instead of putting in pieces of ginger?

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    1. Hi PL - For this recipe you must use the ginger pieces. I think you're thinking of a different thing altogether, more like ginger flavored rock candy, which is interesting. I must look into that, sounds yummy! ~ellen

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