Rock sugar is a gem-like crystal of sugar. The dramatic, pebble-sized rocks are cultivated from super-saturated sugar and water solutions which are heated and left for a week for the crystals to form.

They’re often placed at the bottom of tea cups to be diluted by hot liquid, though larger crystals may need breaking up beforehand. Grind the lumps in a pestle & mortar to get a fine, pale yellow powder for decorating cakes. Yellow rock sugar is also used in Chinese sweet soups and tapioca puddings, or if you have a very sweet tooth you can eat the pieces of rock sugar as they are. Rock sugar is also used in sweet Chinese braised dishes, and are ground up with aniseed as a breath freshener in India.

Ingredients: Sugar cane (at least 97%), water.