Rock sugar

Used in 2 recipes on RecipeWiki.

Large, irregular lumps of crystallised sugar, rock sugar comes white or pale golden and is widely used in Chinese and Vietnamese cooking. It tastes cleaner and less sharply sweet than granulated sugar, and in a braise it gives the sauce a deep, clear gloss. That shine is what Red-Braised Pork Belly is known for, as the sugar melts into the soy and coats the meat, and in Pho Bo a small piece rounds out the spiced, savoury broth without making it taste sweet. The lumps are hard, so break them with the back of a heavy knife or a pestle inside a folded cloth before weighing. Look for it in Chinese supermarkets.