Fujian Winter Melon Candy

People in the southern coastal areas of China prefer light food, mainly porridge and soup, which tend to taste sweet. Therefore, the varieties of crispy candies in this area are diverse and popular. Fujian winter melon candy is a kind of candy made from winter melon as raw material. Winter melon is a food that many people like. Peeling it and boiling it into soup has a diuretic and swelling-reducing effect. It is very suitable to eat winter melon in summer. Let’s learn about how Fujian winter melon candy is made.

Winter melon contains a large amount of carotene and various vitamins, which is very suitable for nutritional supplementation. However, it has a high water content and is not easy to store. The clever Fujian people pickled the winter melon with sugar, which not only preserves the nutrients in the winter melon, but also fully supplements the body's needs for sugar. Over time, this tradition became popular. The living standard was not high at that time, and it was very good to have something sweet and inexpensive to eat, so winter melon candy was very popular in the beginning.

Winter melon candy is both winter melon and candy. To be more precise, it is a winter melon that has a peculiar taste when you chew it. It tastes like a piece of fat meat that has been cooked incorrectly. It is soft and smooth when you take a bite. If you have bad teeth, you may not be able to bite it off and need to chew it a second time. The slightly overly sweet taste is like a piece of fat marinated with sugar. It is an unforgettable memory for many people!

The method of making winter melon candy is very simple. Peel and remove the flesh of the small winter melon, cut into long strips, prepare a clean large plate, put in clean water, and then add food-grade lime, the ratio of one kilogram of water to 20 grams of lime (the ratio of water to lime, not the ratio of winter melon to lime), and stir well. Soak the winter melon in water for 6 hours. After 6 hours, take out the soaked winter melon strips, rinse them with clean water, and then soak them in clean water for 10 minutes, changing the water again in the middle!

Add water to a pot, until the water covers the winter melon strips. Boil the water and the winter melon strips together. Turn off the heat after the water boils for 5 minutes. Take it out and drain the water. Be sure to drain the water. This step is very important. If the water is not dry enough, it will affect the dryness of the fried winter melon candy! Add white sugar according to the proportion, the ratio of winter melon strips to white sugar is 1:1. Mix the winter melon strips and white sugar evenly, put them in the refrigerator and marinate for 2 days. It is a hot day now, so be sure to put them in the refrigerator. If they are marinated and stored at room temperature, they will go bad. After 2 days, pour the winter melon strips and sugar water into the pot and cook. Do not add extra water. Cook over high heat until the sugar water is almost dry. Then turn to low heat and continue cooking. Stir and stir constantly with a spatula. Do not let the sugar burn and affect the taste. Continue to stir-fry over low heat when you see the sugar turn into sand until the winter melon moisture is gone. Turn off the heat and remove from the pot. Wait until it is completely cool before eating. The sweetness is refreshing.