Post by Sō Haruko on Nov 21, 2012 19:49:56 GMT -5
sugar (n) shu gǝr: A delicious but temperamental substance that requires constant attention, causes second-degree burns, and forces you to mop your floor.
Konpeitou. You know what that is, right? The candy that Chihiro feeds the soot balls in Spirited Away. In modern times, it is manufactured over several days in a factory with machines using revolving drums. It's also a Japanese tradition that came from Portugal in the 1500s. You can find the recipe in the Nanban Ryorishou.
You can make konpeitou at home. With no revolving drums. I think. I've tried once so far, and got about halfway there.
All the stuff I said about sugar? Is true, and I knew it all going into this, which made it less frustrating. (And yes, I do have a tiny burn on my finger from accidentally touching a sesame seed that'd stuck to the side of the pan.)
Here's the deal on konpeitou, as far as I can tell. What you're doing is actually making rock candy at high speed. You make a sugar syrup (half sugar, half water, boil it down by half), then set up the "seeds" for the rock candy. In the picture above, it's black sesame, which I like reasonably well, but I think I'll go with fennel or anise next time -- more surface area for the sugar to grab, and I like the taste better. (OK, not so period for the Japanese, but I suspect probably period for Portugal.)
The idea behind the seeds is that it gives the sugar something to crystallize on. You can do this with larger crystals of sugar, it doesn't have to include actual seeds. I don't think the modern konpeitou is made with seeds.
Put the seeds in a shallow skillet, toast them lightly, then very carefully add about a teaspoon of sugar syrup. Roll them around in the sugar syrup using the back of a spoon, until the syrup is almost entirely evaporated. And repeat. And repeat and repeat and repeat. I found that the best thing to do is to move the konpeitou aside, pour the syrup in an empty part of the pan, then quickly move the konpeitou in and out of the syrup until it is gone. Otherwise you end up melting the sugar off the seeds. Not helpful.
I think I started with too many seeds, which is why I have a small pile of stuff that's headed towards being konpeitou, and a whole lot more smaller sugar crystals. (I started with 2 c. sugar, 2 c. water, and 1/2 tsp. sesame.) I'm debating whether or not to make a second batch of syrup and just work with the best of the konpeitou that I have, or if I want to start over entirely.
Edited to add: I will probably also use a smaller pan and do it in smaller batches. That should add more sugar to a smaller number of konpeitou, making the konpeitou grow faster, and making it less likely to burn sugar onto areas of the pan that are not being used. In theory, anyway.
It won't be tonight, though. That was long work, and my back's bugging me. {:
Konpeitou. You know what that is, right? The candy that Chihiro feeds the soot balls in Spirited Away. In modern times, it is manufactured over several days in a factory with machines using revolving drums. It's also a Japanese tradition that came from Portugal in the 1500s. You can find the recipe in the Nanban Ryorishou.
You can make konpeitou at home. With no revolving drums. I think. I've tried once so far, and got about halfway there.
All the stuff I said about sugar? Is true, and I knew it all going into this, which made it less frustrating. (And yes, I do have a tiny burn on my finger from accidentally touching a sesame seed that'd stuck to the side of the pan.)
Here's the deal on konpeitou, as far as I can tell. What you're doing is actually making rock candy at high speed. You make a sugar syrup (half sugar, half water, boil it down by half), then set up the "seeds" for the rock candy. In the picture above, it's black sesame, which I like reasonably well, but I think I'll go with fennel or anise next time -- more surface area for the sugar to grab, and I like the taste better. (OK, not so period for the Japanese, but I suspect probably period for Portugal.)
The idea behind the seeds is that it gives the sugar something to crystallize on. You can do this with larger crystals of sugar, it doesn't have to include actual seeds. I don't think the modern konpeitou is made with seeds.
Put the seeds in a shallow skillet, toast them lightly, then very carefully add about a teaspoon of sugar syrup. Roll them around in the sugar syrup using the back of a spoon, until the syrup is almost entirely evaporated. And repeat. And repeat and repeat and repeat. I found that the best thing to do is to move the konpeitou aside, pour the syrup in an empty part of the pan, then quickly move the konpeitou in and out of the syrup until it is gone. Otherwise you end up melting the sugar off the seeds. Not helpful.
I think I started with too many seeds, which is why I have a small pile of stuff that's headed towards being konpeitou, and a whole lot more smaller sugar crystals. (I started with 2 c. sugar, 2 c. water, and 1/2 tsp. sesame.) I'm debating whether or not to make a second batch of syrup and just work with the best of the konpeitou that I have, or if I want to start over entirely.
Edited to add: I will probably also use a smaller pan and do it in smaller batches. That should add more sugar to a smaller number of konpeitou, making the konpeitou grow faster, and making it less likely to burn sugar onto areas of the pan that are not being used. In theory, anyway.
It won't be tonight, though. That was long work, and my back's bugging me. {:
