Candied Kumquats

Taste: Sweet; Process: Pickling; Time: Several days; Difficulty: Easy.

Detailed Steps for Cooking Candied Kumquats

Buy kumquats from a supermarket or fruit store. This is the season when kumquats are ripe and perfect for making candied kumquats.

Rinse the kumquats with clean water.

Drain the kumquats and sprinkle with an appropriate amount of salt.

Rub the salt and kumquats together in your hands to remove the wax on the surface of the kumquats. Rinse the kumquats again with clean water. Remove the green stems from the kumquats during the cleaning process.

Take a kumquat and make a vertical cut on the surface with a fruit knife.

Flatten the kumquat, squeeze out the seeds inside, and use the tip of the knife to help remove the seeds from the kumquat.

Repeat the process for all the kumquats.

Prepare a clean, oil-free, and water-free glass jar.

Spread a layer of granulated sugar on the bottom of the jar.

Evenly arrange the first layer of kumquats in the jar.

Add another layer of granulated sugar on top of the kumquats.

Continue to alternate layers of kumquats and granulated sugar until the jar is full, with the top layer being granulated sugar. Close the jar tightly and pickle it. In cold weather, it takes about five to seven days to pickle, while in warm weather, it takes about three days. If the top layer of granulated sugar has melted and there is transparent juice seeping out of the jar, it means the pickling is done.

Pour the candied kumquats and syrup into a wide-mouthed pot and cook over medium heat. Slowly evaporate the water in the kumquats and thicken the syrup. When the syrup becomes less and less and the spoon is not easy to stir, it means it is done.

Cool and store in a sealed glass jar.

To drink, take a few candied kumquats and put them in a cup. Add warm water and mash the kumquat pulp with a spoon for better taste and better phlegm-relieving and cough-relieving effects.