Agate Ginkgo
A Shandong-style dessert featuring ginkgo nuts that are slowly deep-fried and then coated in a sugar syrup. Amber in color, the candied nuts are crisp and sweetly fragrant with a subtle tartness.
Ingredients
Ginkgo nuts (brush off the outer skin with alkaline water, wash, and shell them)
200 g
Rock sugar (for the syrup)
75 g
Granulated sugar (for the syrup)
50 g
Honey (for the syrup)
25 g
Lard (for frying the ginkgo)
150 g
Osmanthus sauce (for flavoring the syrup)
5 g
Instructions
1
Prepare the ginkgo
Brush the ginkgo nuts with alkaline water to remove the outer skin, wash them well, and crack off the shells.
2
First fry
Heat the lard in a wok to about 40% hot (around 100 °C / 212 °F), add the ginkgo nuts, and fry over low heat until golden brown. Remove and drain off the oil.
3
Make the syrup
Add water, granulated sugar, rock sugar, honey, and osmanthus sauce to the wok. Simmer over low heat until the syrup thickens, then pour in the fried ginkgo nuts.
4
Coat in syrup
Remove the wok from the heat, toss the ginkgo nuts so the syrup coats them evenly, let them cool, then transfer to a plate and serve.
