Fresh ginger root the size of Beth's hand
herbs, sweets and desserts, tips and tricks
by madeline2020

Simple Citrus Candied Ginger

If you’re ready for a fun and simple recipe, try this one for candied ginger. I used it with my Limoncello Candied Ginger scones, and also with an upcoming recipe for Marmalade, Candied Bacon Cheddar Scones. You can also eat it right out of the container (a bit of heat a bit of sweet) or use it in stir fry, chopped on sweet and sour pork or steak tips. Be creative!

Large piece of flowering ginger
Ginger adds a fresh heat to any dish. Photo by Joris Neyt on Pexels.com

Ingredients:

  • Cooking spray
  • 1 pound fresh ginger root
  • 2 lemons worth of lemon zest strips
  • 5 cups water
  • 1 pound sugar

Instructions:

  • Spray a very large cooling rack (or two smaller ones) with cooking spray and set the racks either in a pan lined with baking paper, or over baking paper on a kitchen counter. This is to catch the drips of sugar from the cooling ginger, so something you can scrub a drip or two of hardened sugar from is ideal.
  • Peel the ginger as best you can, and slice thinly either with a mandolin or a large slice grater. You want it to be thin enough to cook fast.
sliced ginger
Ginger sliced and ready to be cooked, with some peel left on. We didn’t notice it in the final recipe.
  • Place the ginger and lemon peel/zest into a large saucepan with water and set over medium high heat.
  • Cover and cook for 35 – 40 minutes until ginger is tender
Sliced ginger cooking
As you can see, some of my pieces were larger, but thin
  • Transfer ginger and lemon peel to a colander to cool, and set aside 1/4 cup and 1/3 cup of the ginger water in separate containers
  • Weigh the ginger (yes, this is important) and measure out the same weight in sugar. It’ll be slightly less than 1 pound.
  • Return the ginger and the 1/4 cup of water to the pan, and add the sugar. Don’t be tempted to add more water… I did and mine came out more like caramelized ginger. It was still good, but just be warned.
  • Bring to a boil stirring frequently. Then reduce the heat and cook, stirring frequently until the sugar syrup has started to crystallize. Don’t walk away at this point. It doesn’t take long but it is easy to burn.
Ginger and lemon zest boiling in sugar
A sweet spicy smell will fill your kitchen!
  • Once it has become dry and crystallized, remove the ginger from the heat and spread on the cooling rack in a single layer to cool.
  • Once cooled, store in an air tight container.

You can even use the sugar droppings below the rack for topping the Limoncello Candied Ginger Scones instead of brown sugar if you like. They’re also great in tea or coffee. Just a bit of heat to sweeten things up.

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