Candied ginger is a zingy, delicious treat. Enjoy a tidbit after a meal or infuse into tea and soup. Minced candied ginger adds a sunny kick to rice, salads, eggs, baking, pancakes, fruit, or desserts. This recipe will show you how to make candied ginger in syrup, crystallized ginger, and crystallized ginger dipped in dark chocolate.
Purchase fresh ginger root in the produce department of your local market. Look for firm, unblemished roots with smooth skin. Young ginger root is plump with a mild taste while old ginger root is fibrous, woody, and bitter.
Peel the roots with a paring knife or the back of a spoon. Chop off the knobs for easier peeling.
Discard any dry, woody, or wormy parts.
Slice the peeled root into thin disks. Rinse well.
Boil the ginger root in water for 10 minutes. Rinse and repeat. This process will help tenderize and remove some of the sharpness of the root compounds (gingerol and shogaol).
Fill your pot with 4 cups of water and 1 cup of sugar. Boil on medium heat until syrup stage, about an hour. This is when most of the water is boiled off and the remaining syrup barely covers the ginger roots. Stir frequently. Watch the pot carefully for the last 15 minutes or so. Do not let it boil dry.
Remove from the heat. Decide how much ginger root you would like to sugar. The featured chef split the batch in half. Drain the roots you choose to sugar immediately as the syrup will quickly thicken.
Place about a half cup of granulated sugar in a bowl. Gently toss the drained ginger root in the sugar until well coated.
Place wax paper under a cookie rack. Gently transfer the sugar tossed ginger bits onto the rack. Dry overnight. Store covered at room temperature for up to two months or refrigerated for up to six months.
Pour the remaining candied ginger root and syrup into a glass container. Place in the fridge. Ginger root stored in this manner will keep up to a year. Use for baking and cooking.
Add chocolate to the sugared ginger roots. Place a small amount of chocolate in a microwave safe cup.
Melt until smooth, about 1 minute on high. Pause at 30 seconds and stir for even heating.
Dip the sugared ginger half way into the melted chocolate. Tip up and hold for a few seconds until it stops dripping.
Place the cookie rack and dry for a few hours. Remove the chocolate covered ginger roots with a knife to prevent the chocolate from sticking to the rack. Store as mentioned above.
Notes:
Ginger is known as a folk remedy to help relieve mild nausea and aid congestion from a cold. Add candied ginger to a cup of tea for a relaxing drink.
Ginger root may increase production of bile and is not recommended for people with gallstones or taking blood thinning medications such as Warfarin.
