Tuesday, 9 July 2013

Crystallized Ginger and Ginger in Syrup


I have come across a few recipes that call for either glazed ginger or crystallized/candied ginger. Since I could not find  glazed or candied ginger at the supermarket, I Googled and Youtubed for the recipe and methodology. There are many recipes and various methods of preparing these sweet treats. You can refer to here or here.

Crystallized or Candied Ginger.

I was really undecided which recipe to follow, so I borrowed the basic principles and came up with the recipe below. I used about 250g young ginger (peeled and sliced weight) and 1.5  cups sugar. The amount of water used was just enough to cover the ginger slices.

Simmer ginger slices until tender.

The ginger is first cleaned, peeled and thinly sliced. Then put them in a saucepan and fill with enough water to submerge the ginger slices. Bring to a boil and simmer until the ginger is tender.

Ginger in syrup cooling in the bottle.

Some recipes will ask you to discard the water and then start over at least 3 times. This is to take away the strong ginger flavour and bite. I did not have the time and skipped this step. I simmered the ginger and found that it took quite a long time for them to become tender. I would say it took about 50 minutes. Perhaps if I had sliced them much thinner, they would have taken less time. Meanwhile, my whole house was filled with a refreshing ginger aroma. Talk about aromatherapy! No wonder I felt so calm and slept so well that evening :)

The ginger syrup thickens further when it cools. Smells wonderful!

Once the ginger is tender, I added 1.5 cups sugar into the water and stirred to dissolve the sugar. I continued simmering until the mixture became syrupy like honey. At this point I noticed that the ginger slices became translucent. Since I wanted to make crystallized ginger as well, I put about 4 tablespoons of sugar onto a plate and removed a few slices of ginger from the syrup mixture and tossed each one of them separately in the sugar. The sugar easily stuck to the ginger slices and they hardened pretty fast. 


I took the pan off the heat and transferred the rest of the  ginger and syrup into a clean bottle. I was very careful to avoid getting burnt by the hot sugar. The syrup thickened further upon cooling. I read that the crystallized ginger can be kept at room temperature for a few months while the ginger in syrup can be kept for up to a year in the fridge.


I took one slice of the crystallized ginger and tried it. Yum! It was very good but I could taste the heat from the ginger, which was not a bad thing. I like it! I guess if you prefer a milder ginger flavor, it would be advisable to change the water 2 or 3 times as suggested by the original recipes.



Crystallized Ginger and Ginger in Syrup
Recipe source : Adapted from Various sources from the internet and Youtube

Ingredients :
- 250g young ginger, peeled and thinly sliced.
- 1.5 cups sugar.
- enough water to submerge the ginger slices in a small saucepan.
- Extra sugar for crystallised ginger

Method :
1. Put ginger slices into a small saucepan and cover with enough water to submerge the ginger.
2. Bring to a boil and simmer until ginger is tender. This takes about 40-50 minutes.
3. Add sugar and continue to simmer and stir from time to time.
4. When the sugar solution starts to thicken to syrup consistency, continue to stir and be careful not to allow the sugar to burn.
5. When the syrup is thick and the ginger slices are translucent, take the saucepan off the heat.
6. To make crystallized ginger, put some sugar (amount depends on how much ginger you want to use) on a plate and transfer ginger slices onto the plate and toss each slice in the sugar to coat.
7. When the candied ginger slices are dry and the sugar coating has hardened, keep in an airtight container or bottle. Store at room temperature or in the fridge.
8. As for the rest of the ginger in syrup, transfer into a clean bottle. Cool and keep in the fridge.



Photobucket

This post is linked to the event, Little Thumbs Up organised by Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids and Doreen of My Little Favourite DIY and hosted by Alvin of Chef and Sommelier

54 comments:

  1. Ummm...no, thanks. Love ginger in dishes that can't do without them but would not like to bite into them...so I guess, these are out as well.

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    1. Hah! Hah! OK, noted! This is more of an add on ingredient rather than something you would eat on it's own. I have yet to try the recipes that use candied ginger. Will be experimenting soon :)

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  2. Replies
    1. Ola, I can't believe I made it! Hope to use the ginger in some recipes.

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  3. Oh PH, next time u r lazy to make this, u can find it in Jusco. Usually they put it at the nuts section.

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    1. Oh really, Yen? I searched high and low, perhaps I missed it. Will look again when I go to Jusco.

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  4. Wow, I am impressed by the effort taken to make this and by the end results. Looking forward to some gingery recipes with these :)

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    1. I don't know where I got the motivation from but I was quiet happy with the end result.

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  5. Bangok gajen nya I never like crystallized ginger but I have not tried ginger syrup yet wonder how it taste like is it hot.Next time make the syrup and let me try .Ok?

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    Replies
    1. The syrup has a nice taste but it is hot. I quite like it.

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  6. Phong Hong, Thanks for sharing this interesting recipe. Look good!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Ann! I hope to use the ginger in some bakes.

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  7. ivy sew http://simplybeautifulhealthyliving.blogspot.com9 July 2013 at 18:45

    Phong Hong, this is great! I like ginger and this is so yummy. Thanks for sharing :)

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    1. Ivy, if you like ginger then I think you will like the crystallized ginger a lot. You can snack on it but not too much due to the sugar :)

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  8. Aiyoo, awak sangat rajin lar, hehehe..tetapi ini memang bagus!

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    Replies
    1. Hee..hee..hee...sekali-sekala saja rajin....

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  9. Wow ! Uch a wonderful recipe to make candied ginger. I am bookmarking this and will soon post with a link back!

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    Replies
    1. Sapana, I looks forwards to your post!

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  10. Hi Phong Hong, I want some candied ginger to release the "angin" at my stomach now, LOL .....

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    Replies
    1. Esther, then I better stand far, far, away...hee...hee...hee...

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  11. I always buy preserved ginger to eat as a snack! This candied version looks so deicious!

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    Replies
    1. Jeannie, if you like preserved ginger then you will like the candied verison.

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  12. Phong Hong, this is a good snack but cant eat too much coz of the sugar. sekali-sekala boleh la. thanks for sharing this.

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    Replies
    1. xing hui, it is a very nice snack but a bit hot.

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  13. Wow Phong Hong! This is the first "real" ginger recipe post that I have received for this month's LTU!

    CLAP CLAP CLAP!!!! Well done!

    BTW, you just gave your blog a new coat of paint?! I love it! Clean and refreshing!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you, thank you, Alvin! I wanted to bake a cake with candied ginger in it hence I had to make my own. It is amazing what a new coat of paint can do, eh? Actually, I finally figured out how to change the colour hah! hah!

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  14. thanks for sharing this recipe phong.. its new to me..

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    Replies
    1. PT, ginger lovers would love this candied ginger.

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  15. I usually buy this. now i can make it at home. thanks dear

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    1. Vimitha, I couldn't find any at the store so I had to make my own. Quite easy to do but time consuming.

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  16. I would love to try the candied ginger, i have not eat this before, looks good!

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    Replies
    1. Jozelyn, it is very sweet and refreshing but hot!

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  17. Beautifully done! I love adding some to my ginger cookies for an extra punch!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Lizzy! I want to try cakes and cookies with candied ginger.

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  18. Hi Phong Hong,

    I think our ginger-loving auntie J will love this too. I will make some for her when I go back to Singapore :D

    Zoe

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    Replies
    1. Zoe, I believe your auntie J would be delighted with the candied ginger!

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  19. Oh wow, you made your own crystallized ginger! I am so amazed. This is so expensive in the stores that I hesitate to buy.

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    1. Mich, I didn't know they are expensive. I couldn't find any. Now you can make your own but it takes quite a bit of time.

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  20. Hi Phong Hong,
    I can almost smell the ginger!! Love this! Thumbs up for making your own!

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    1. Hi Joyce! The smell of ginger is so good. But it was very time consuming. I had to run upstairs and downstairs to keep an eye on the ginger and at the same time trying to update my posts!

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  21. Kak Phong Hong,
    Wow..wow...wow..
    Did you took the whole day to prepare this lovely crystallized ginger??
    I bet worthwhile making this as you can have it all the time and with no additives, no preservative..homemade!!
    Double thumbs up for you :D
    Thanks for sharing and linking this to LTU!
    mui

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    1. mui mui, it took me half a day to get it done. At first I felt lazy to start it but I already bought the ginger and it cannot keep for too long. So I did it. So hot in the afternoon and I was sweating away. But it was worth it when I saw how beautiful the crystallized ginger turned out :)

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  22. I love ginger a.d this look awesome. especially I love candied ginger!

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    Replies
    1. Hi Gloria! I am now a new fan of candied ginger. Thanks for coming by :)

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  23. Replies
    1. Jay, I allow myself one piece per day and it is yummy!

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  24. Hi Phong Hong, wow..... I LOVE THIS. Yours look really good. Thanks for sharing your recipe.

    Best regards.

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    1. Amelia, you like candied ginger? Then you must spend some time making this candied ginger. I like it a lot. Still got some in the fridge :)

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  25. i still have some crystallised ginger in my fridge, it's actually nice snacking on them, can only eat one at a time..i enjoy the gingery sensation :)

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    1. Lena, I like it too and have only one piece a day. There are many more pieces in the bottle. Will try to bake with it this weekend.

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  26. Very interesting recipe and thank you for the step-by-step. I love crystallised ginger and used to snack on them but those were the days....

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    1. Hi Doris, if you like crystallized ginger then it is worth the time spent to make it at home. I still have some in the fridge and I snack on it one piece a day :)

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  27. Phong Hong,
    I plan to make this. I love candied ginger :)
    As for ginger syrup, what do you normally use it for?

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    1. Hi Alice, this is the first time that I made ginger syrup :) It can be used for drinks eg you can add it to lemon juice for a gingery lemony drink. Can also use in desserts like topping for ice cream. There are some dishes that use the syrup as well as the ginger in syrup. I am still exploring :)

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