Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Candied Ginger


Well, this turned out to be an all day project. But well worth it, and I am thrilled with the way this batch turned out. I sliced it thinner, it's spring ginger, instead of winter, and I cooked it longer. We'll see how tender it is, and how fibrous, hopefully it will be just right.

We both look forward to having that first piece. It has to dry overnight, but we may not wait that long. :-)

Here is the peeled ginger.

I used a potato peeler instead of a spoon like some suggest.



Then I used a sharp knife to cut into thin slices.



Here it is in water, ready for the first boil,
which can be anywhere from 15 - 30 min.
Drain, rinse, and cover with water again
bring to boil for the same amount of time.
Repeat another two times
.



Then you drain, rinse, and add a lb. of sugar for every lb. of ginger.
I used about 3 cups of sugar and 1 c. of water.
Simmer until translucent and the syrup thickened.



Then line cookie sheets with waxed paper or foil, I was out of waxed. I put some sugar into a plastic container with a lid, then took a large spoon with holes in it so syrup can drain out, then put the spoonful of drained ginger into the sugar, put on the lid and shook. Lay sugared slices out on cookie sheets as shown.



I kept back some of the ginger to leave in the syrup, called Canton ginger,
so that I can use some in Thai dishes.
I also read a recipe for making homemade ginger ale
using 3-4 TBS. of the syrup to a pint glass, then add sparkling water.






Try it, I think you'll like it.

A friend in a garden forum posted this recipe a few years back.

She even sent out samples, and we've been hooked ever since.

This is the third time I've made it.





Zone 10 ~ s.e. FL


7 comments:

Nancy's Notes said...

So fascinating! I have never made this, I am sure it is quite delicious! Of course the ginger scent filling the air must be incredible! I am new to blogging and so happy I dropped in! Thanks for the great cooking lesson!

Nancy's Notes

Kit said...

Oh my that looks sooo good! One of my favorite drinks is Ginger Ale and I can imagine it would be a great snack munching on the candied ginger. Kit

Sandra said...

Mmm! That looks delish! I've never had anything like this before. It looks so good! Have a wonderful day.
Sandra

Randy Emmitt said...

That is not the way I make candied ginger. Here is what I do.

Fill the largest skillet with about 3-4 lbs of pared ginger sliced as thin as I can slice it. I then dump in 2-3 cups or so of white sugar until the ginger is fully covered. Cook on low for 2-3 hours until the magic happens. The magic is when all the water in the sugar cooks down and the ginger crystallizes. You have to keep an eye on it as it will carmelize if you cook it too long. Let it cool down a bit and pile the ginger onto a large plate let cool then store it in a dry container.

My ginger always ends up "hot' this way, the store bought sweet ginger is just not the same.

Sandra said...

Yum that looks really good. Hope you're having a wonderful night :)

sweetbay said...

I will try it, thank you for the directions.

gld said...

It looks delicious. I am not a big fan of ginger, but this has me interested in trying a small amount.

I did some candied orange peels back when I made the mincemeat. But it is just one simple cooking.

How was the ginger ale drink?