Crystallized (Candied) Ginger

Sometimes I go to a Korean supermarket...and I pass by certain items...thinking...

...hmmmmmmm.

Bitter melon. Frog legs. Thai chili peppers. Aloe juice.  Prepackaged and ready-to-eat rice. (Will I live forever with the amount of preservatives in that little 5 oz pack, is the question.) Oh God, the ramen aisle.

...and crystallized ginger. Those little golden strips covered in sugar in a 7x5x2 plastic container.

You know, I read a lot of cookbooks and look up many recipes on the web. Too frequently have I come across "crystallized ginger" on the ingredients list, wondering what it is, what it tastes like, and when I might actually make something with it. Then one day, my mom just looked at me and said, "oh, that thing? You can just make it at home. It's easy."

And so I looked it up, compared recipes, and thought...

...hmmmmmmm.


Crystallized (or candied) ginger is just that: fresh gingerroot that's cooked, then simmered to crystallize with its own tea and sugar. It looks complicated, but it's really quite simple, if you get the hang of it.

The most important thing to remember is to observe carefully. Depending on the weather, the strength of your stove, and the type of pan, the times that the ginger will crystallize will vary. I fully expected the ginger and sugar to reduce in 20 minutes, but it took me more like 1 hour and 20 minutes.

But don't get discouraged by the time! This is a wonderful treat to make at home :)

Since it's freshly made, it has a bit more "bite" to it than the store-bought version. It's great to eat by itself, if you can handle it. It adds a great kick to cookies, pound cakes, and breads, though, and it's really fun to make.

So...to make crystallized ginger, you need:

Of course, fresh gingerroot! You'll get them really cheap per pound at Korean supermarkets.

You might think I'm weird, but I think these are super pretty. We Koreans have traditionally held a special place for ginger in our cuisine, so that's also where my fondness for it comes from.

Peeled, sliced, rinsed, then strained.

This is a labor of love right here, peeps. 

I used a portable electric coil stove on the deck to make my ginger candies. Simply immerse the ginger in the prepared water, let it come to a boil, then leave to simmer for about 20-30 minutes, or until the ginger is tender.

Again, the process was a lengthy one for me. It took 20 minutes for the water to boil (with the cover on top), then another 25-30 minutes for the ginger to become tender.

How do you know when the ginger is done? Usually it's easily bent and quite soft. I just bite into a piece and gauge the tenderness from there. That's the easiest way, in my opinion.

Boiled ginger....in its own tea.

Here's a hint for ya: if you want less spicy candied ginger, simply replace about half the tea in the boiling pan with plain water in the middle of cooking. Let it come up to a boil again, then proceed as usual.

Oh, my pretty babies.

I can't help myself.  Cooking and baking = Pure happiness.

Before I forget: save about 1/4 cup of the ginger tea for later and toss the rest of the tea. OR if you happen to have a Korean mother who loves strong ginger tea, save all of it and serve a cup with honey.

Measure the strained ginger (remember to set the scale to zero WITH the bowl already on the plate). Mine came out to be 415g. Next, simply match the amount of sugar to the amount of ginger. 

Exactly 415g of sugar. Hooray! 

...And back to the stove it is. 

This is about 30 minutes after the sugar has dissolved. You can see how the syrup is beginning to thicken, and the liquid is beginning to reduce.

So pretty. So shiny.

Can you see the crystallizing sugar that's beginning to coat the spoon? SO exciting.

You want to stick by your ginger here. Don't leave it alone. After all that waiting, stirring, checking, giving it lots of love...it's almost done!

Once almost all the liquid is gone, quickly get ready to place the ginger on the prepared cooling rack.

Patience pays off big for this dessert. Look at how pretty this is.

You can save the leftover ginger sugar from the pan or the bottom of the pot for coffee, dessert, whatever you'd like! Candied ginger makes for a fantastic gift. I already made two batches and gave away five huge bags' worth.

Now, the treats I can make with these cuties....

;)



Crystallized Ginger

Yields about 1 lb candied ginger

Ingredients:

- nonstick cooking spray
- 1 lb fresh ginger root
- 5 cups water
- 1 lb granulated sugar

Directions:

1. Spray a cooling rack with nonstick spray and set it in a half sheet pan lined with parchment.

Peel the ginger root and slice into 1/8-inch thick slices using a mandoline or a kitchen knife. Place into a 4-quart saucepan with the water and set over medium-high heat. Cover and cook for 35 minutes or until the ginger is tender.

2. Transfer the ginger to a colander to drain, reserving 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid. Weigh the ginger and measure out an equal amount of sugar. Return the ginger and 1/4 cup water to the pan and add the sugar.

3. Set over medium-high heat and bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring frequently, until the sugar syrup looks dry, has almost evaporated and begins to recrystallize, approximately 20 minutes (to an hour! You just have to keep watch. Transfer the ginger immediately to the cooling rack and spread to separate the individual pieces. Once completely cool, store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. Save the sugar that drops beneath the cooling rack and use to top ginger snaps, sprinkled over ice cream or to sweeten coffee.

Recipe from Alton Brown