Pomelo candied peels

Just like orange peels pomelo peels are great when candied.

But beware – if you don’t treat them well they will be super bitter! Biting into that will be at first yummy, sweet but after a few seconds the bitterness will kick in really HARD! So take it slow, follow the steps and you will have wonderful pomelo peels.

Here is how I’ve made mine:

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Candied Pomelo peels protocol:

Preparation time:  60 minutes

Complexity:          medium

Required tools :

  1. A wooden spatula or long handled spoon
  2. A 1 liter pot, preferably stainless.

 Ingredients:

  1. Pomelo peels – washed, dried with a clean towel and weighed.
  2. Sugar, white granulated.

Protocol:

Store the pomelo peels in the refrigerator and collect peels from 3-4 Pomelos.

Weigh the peels before you start and write it down. Wash the Pomelo peels and place them in the pot with a glass plate on top to prevent them from floating up. This will ensure the peels will soak up water and release some of the bitterness. Feel the pot with water and boil. As soon as the water boil, carefully pour the boiling hot water to the sink and add tap water instead. Allow the peels to cool for 5-10 minutes and replace the water. Repeat the boiling and cooling process three more times. This is a must or your peels will be way too bitter to enjoy them.

Cooking the peels is slow. Remove the last wash water and add 1.3 times the original weight of the peels. If you have forgotten or lost the original weight – that’s not a disaster. Weigh the peels and add X0.8 sugar (of the peels current weight). Why add less sugar? Remember the peels have soaked up water and they are heavier now.

Add enough water to just to cover the peels. Cook on medium heat on a medium burner – you need to give the peels enough time to soak up the sugar (or more accurately – to give the sugar enough time to diffuse into the peels). During the boil make sure to mix the candies every 10 minutes so the peels floating on top will also get candied.

Once your syrup level is low (1/2″ or 10mm or so) start mixing more frequently and be sure to monitor the pot constantly. As soon as you run out of syrup – it is time to shut down the heat source – but keep stirring. If you don’t – the bottom peels will get burned. Keep stirring for another 5 minutes or so to dry the peels a little further and then you can either leave them in the pot or our them onto some parchment paper.

That is it… just two ingredients and some time… but it’s well worth it!

Important notes:

  • You can cut the peels to any shape you like. Use stainless cookie cutters and let the kids have a ball with those!
  • If you have soaked the peels but don’t have the time to cook them – drain the water and place them in a well sealed bag in the freezer! You can store those for a year as long as your bag is airtight!
  • Whatever you do – NEVER add an equal weight of sugar to the water soaked peels – sugar overkill is the right term (don’t ask me how I know this…)

Have a sweet day

Saar