Rock sugar (冰糖, bing tang) is crystallized cane sugar sold in irregular lumps. Yellow rock sugar is less refined and keeps a faint caramel, honey-like flavor; white rock sugar is pure and tastes clean. Chinese cooks reach for it in red-braised pork, soy-braised chicken, tea eggs and master stock because it melts slowly, tastes mellower than granulated sugar and leaves a beautiful lacquered shine on meat. It also sweetens Cantonese dessert soups, chrysanthemum tea, ginger syrup and Vietnamese nước màu caramel.

How to buy

Every Chinese or Vietnamese grocery carries it in 12 to 16 oz bags; look for it near the dried goods, not the baking aisle. Yellow (sometimes labeled brown or golden) rock sugar is the one for braises; choose lumps that are translucent amber, not cloudy or crusted with syrup. White rock sugar comes as large single crystals or small pea-size pieces, and the small ones save a lot of hammering. Online, brands such as Taikoo, Golden Lily and Cock Brand are reliable. Do not confuse it with rock candy on a stick or with flavored Chinese pear candy.

How to store

It keeps indefinitely in a sealed jar or zip bag at room temperature. Humidity makes the lumps sweat and fuse into a single block; if that happens, whack the bag with a rolling pin or dissolve the whole thing into a simple syrup and refrigerate it for up to a month. There is no spoilage to watch for, only stickiness.

Substitutes

  • Granulated white sugar 1:1 by weight; the braise tastes sharper and slightly less glossy but it works in every recipe.
  • Light brown sugar 1:1 for yellow rock sugar; adds molasses depth and darkens the sauce a little more.
  • Honey, using about 3/4 the amount; good in syrups and tea but it can catch and taste bitter in a hot pan.
  • Palm sugar or jaggery 1:1; a similar caramel roundness with a stronger, smokier flavor.

How to use

Break big lumps in a bag with a mallet or the back of a cleaver; small pea-size pieces melt on their own. For a red braise, melt 2 to 3 tablespoons of rock sugar in a little oil over medium-low heat until it turns amber, then add the meat to coat it, and add soy and liquid after that. Rock sugar dissolves slowly, so in a soup or tea add it early and taste before adding more; a recipe amount of 30 g is roughly two walnut-size lumps. Because it is less sweet-tasting than granulated sugar, do not cut the quantity when a recipe calls for it.

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