Chinese Red Sugar ()

Chinese red sugar (hóng táng – 红糖) is definitely not the same as Western brown sugar.It’s not just a cooking ingredient, it’s actually considered by traditional Chinese medicine practitioners to be something of a nutritional supplement.Learn more about Chinese red sugar, what makes it different from regular sugar, and how to use it in your cooking.  What is Chinese Red Sugar? Chinese red sugar (红糖) is an unrefined cane sugar that gets its deep reddish-brown color and distinctive flavor from the molasses that remains in the product after cooking.  Unlike white sugar, which is heavily processed and stripped of its natural minerals, Chinese red sugar retains some of the sugar cane’s nutrients and trace minerals like potassium, calcium, magnesium, and iron.

This sweetener can come in various forms, from solid blocks that can be sliced or crushed to soft, moist varieties similar to Western brown sugar.However, Chinese red sugar is typically minimally processed compared to Western brown sugar, which is just refined white sugar with molasses added back in.You begin with sugarcane, a type of very tall, thick grass that looks similar to bamboo.

The sugarcane is pressed to extract the sucrose-rich juice, which is then filtered and heated.The resulting syrup gets stirred constantly to prevent sticking as it cools.The natural molasses in the sugar, which contains polyphenols (antioxidants), iron, calcium, magnesium, potassium, and Vitamin B6,