Ginger candy

Ginger candy

　　Ginger candy is one of the famous local products of Xindu, Sichuan. It is said to have a history of over 200 years. The candy is characterized by its sweet taste with a slight ginger flavor, soft and moist texture, rich aroma, refreshing and appetite-stimulating properties, as well as promoting saliva and blood circulation. It is considered a therapeutic food. Ingredients: premium brown sugar 28.5 kg, high-quality cooked oil 4.5 kg, fresh ginger 1 kg, premium glutinous rice 11 kg, premium sesame 2 kg, peach kernels 2 kg, honey rose 1 kg.

　　Production Method: 1. Prepare ginger juice: Wash the fresh ginger, grind it in a meat grinder, mix with a small amount of water, then squeeze out the ginger juice for later use. 2. Prepare glutinous rice flour: Rinse the glutinous rice with warm water at 50–60°C for 4–5 minutes according to the ingredients, then spread it on a winnowing basket to drain. The next morning, stir-fry it with river sand (river sand treated with cooking oil) over high heat—do not let it turn yellow. Then grind it into fine powder using an electric mill (also known as雄粉). Spread it on the ground to air for 2–3 days until it can be formed into a lump by hand without crumbling. 3. Boil the brown sugar: Place the brown sugar in a pot, add an appropriate amount of water to melt it, filter and settle to remove impurities, then return it to the pot. Add the ginger juice and glutinous rice flour (add gradually in small amounts to prevent clumping), and continue boiling. Control the temperature at 80–90°C, avoid too high heat. Stir constantly while boiling until the sugar, glutinous rice flour, and ginger juice gradually form a thick paste. Then add the high-quality cooked oil and continue boiling. Finally, mix in the sesame seeds and spices evenly. 4. Forming: Scoop the prepared ginger candy paste onto a workbench, spread it out, let it cool, then roll it thin with a wooden stick. Cut it into strips about 3 cm thick and 8 cm wide, pack them in boxes, and they are ready for sale. Specifications: uniform rectangular strips. Color: dark brown. Texture: soft, moist, delicate, and crumbly. Taste: sweet with a hint of ginger, fragrant and refreshing.

　　Xindu ginger candy comes in more than ten varieties such as rose, sesame, mint, and peach kernel. It features a soft and moist texture, sweet with a mildly spicy kick, and is refreshing and appetite-stimulating. It has been awarded multiple times as a high-quality product in Chengdu’s industry.

　　Ginger candy was first created in the fourth year of the Xianfeng reign during the Qing Dynasty (1854), as a traditional food from Sanhechang in Xindu District. It is now produced by the Xindu District State-owned Food Factory. Xindu ginger candy originates from Sanhe Town and has a history of over 200 years. Legend has it that around the end of the Kangxi reign in the Qing Dynasty, an elderly woman named Ma in Sanhechang roasted glutinous rice, ground it into powder, mixed it with ginger juice and brown sugar, kneaded it into a soft cake, cut it into small strips, and sold it as a type of candy called ginger candy. By the fifth generation of Ma’s descendants, the first ginger candy workshop was established in Sanhechang. Later, imitators multiplied, and more than ten ginger candy workshops were successively opened. Sanhechang thus became known as the hometown of ginger candy. After liberation, the ginger candy workshops of Sanhe were merged into the Xindu County Town Confectionery Factory and officially named Xindu Ginger Candy. Nowadays, Xindu ginger candy comes in more than ten varieties including rose, sesame, mint, and peach kernel. It features a soft and moist texture, sweet with a mildly spicy kick, and is refreshing and appetite-stimulating. It has been awarded multiple times as a high-quality product in Chengdu’s industry.

　　Production Method: Ginger candy is one of the famous local products of Xindu, Sichuan. It is said to have a history of over 200 years. The candy is characterized by its sweet taste with a slight ginger flavor, soft and moist texture, rich aroma, refreshing and appetite-stimulating properties, as well as promoting saliva and blood circulation. It is considered a therapeutic food.