Do you buy candied ginger only to find it hard as a rock the next time you need some? I sure do! Making your own is easy and saves money. It stores in its own syrup for many months or you can drain them and roll them in sugar. This recipe makes the best-tasting candied ginger using the least amount of ingredients.
Tender homemade candied ginger with or without being rolled in sugar that lasts for many months. They're sweet and tender, almost like candy orange slices.
Ingredients:
- 8 ounces fresh ginger
- Water, for boiling
- 1-1/2 cups* granulated sugar, for syrup
- 1-1/2 cups* water, for syrup
Instructions:
- Peel the ginger by turning a teaspoon upside down and using the round end to scrape off the peel. (Sometimes you have to cut a nob off of the gingerroot to get into the nooks and crannies.) Cut the ginger into pieces no wider than the size you want your candied ginger. Slice the gingerroot as thinly as possible. (See the below photo for how thin, though this the ginger in the photo is cooked.)
- Add the ginger slices to a nonreactive saucepan (nonstick, stainless steel, etc., but no copper, aluminum, or cast iron). Cover with water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. (If you have sliced the ginger to between 1/8 and 1/4-inch thick, simmer for 30 minutes.) Drain the liquid from the saucepan (save the liquid to make soup, if you wish). Once again, cover with water, bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer for 15 minutes, and drain. These steps remove much of the heat and savory flavor from the ginger.
- Add the 1-1/2 cups of water and the sugar. Stir and cook over medium-high heat until the mixture thickens and reaches 225ºF.
- Remove from heat and set aside to cool. Pour into a glass jar or bowl, cover, and refrigerate for up to many months.
- You can chop them to use in muffins, ice cream, or any recipe calling for candied ginger.
- Or if your recipe requires sugar-coated candied ginger or if using for garnish, allow the syrup to drain away from the ginger by setting on a wooden cutting board. Then dredge them in a shallow dish of sugar.
Tips
*The amount of water and sugar should always be equal. However, the amount will vary depending upon the saucepan that you use and the thickness and size of your ginger slices. You want a little more than to cover the ginger as during cooking some will evaporate.