Mứt Dừa (Candied Coconut)

Ingredients:
-coconut
-sugar
-food coloring/flavorings (optional)

What to Do:
Crack coconut in half and toast in the oven at 450’f for about 15-20 mins, until the flesh starts to peel away from the hard shell. Remove the coconut flesh. Using a vegetable peeler or a knife ‘peel’ away any brown skin from the flesh. Use a vegetable peeler to ‘slice’ the coconut in to thin long strips (turn the coconut as you shave the flesh with a veggie peeler). Weigh the coconut to determine the amount of sugar, the amount of sugar should be ½ weight of coconut. Mix together coconut and sugar, add colors and flavors if desired. Follow instructions for ‘dry version’ to complete the recipe.

Note:
Coconuts are sold in 3 different “ages”. Young coconut = very little and soft flesh, sweet juice, usually used for drinking. “Old” = the hard dark brown ones, thick and firm flesh, usually. “Middle age” = looks like “old” coconuts except the color is much lighter (with to very light brown). For best results use “middle age” coconuts.

Mứt Thơm Dẻo (Candied Pineapple)

Ingredients:
-Pineapples
-sugar
-vanilla powder
-cheese cloth

What to Do:
Peel pineapple and cut into thing strips. Use a cheese cloth to squeeze out excess juice (add a little ginger and ice to make a refreshing drink ;)). Weigh the pineapple to determine the amount of sugar. The weight of sugar should be ½ of the pineapple. Mix together pineapple and sugar. Stir fry over low heat until thickened, add vanilla powder. Cool and wrap with cellophane.

Note:
Stir fry over low heat to keep the pineapple’s bright golden color.

Mứt Rau Câu (Candied Agar Agar)

Ingredients:
-50g agar agar
-2 liters water ( =2kg, ~ 8 cups)
-1500g sugar
-pandan flavor, vanilla powder, mali flavor, strawberry flavor
-food coloring

What to Do:
Boil agar agar in water until dissolved. Add sugar and divide agar agar into 4 portions. Mix each portion with a different color/flavor. Pour into square cake pans to set. Once the agar agar sets; cut into strips (or whatever shape) and dry in a food dehydrator until a thin layer of sugar coats the agar agar strips. Wrap with cellophane.

Note:
Keep in mind the agar agar will shrink a bit when dehydrated. Therefore, cut the strips a little bigger than the desired size of the final product. Too much water or too little sugar requires a longer dehydrating time.

Kẹo Gương (Mirror Candy)

The word “Gương” means mirror in Vietnamese. Kẹo means candy, thus explains why I translated “Kẹo Gương” to “Mirror Candy”. Although, it is basically a version of peanut brittle, the Vietnamese version is much thinner and sometimes calls for fried shallots.

Ingredients:
-150g sugar
-50g sesame seeds
-75g peanuts
-1/2 tsp lime juice (or another form of acid)
-1 tsp vanilla powder
-1/2 tsp fried shallots (optional)

What to Do:
Toast sesame seeds and peanuts. Line a flat, heat resistant surface with a piece of foil. Melt sugar in a pot until it begins to turn slightly yellow. Immediately remove from heat and stir in lime juice, vanilla powder, and fried shallots. Spread the hot syrup onto the foil and use a spoon or spatula to spread it into a thin layer. Sprinkle on the peanuts and sesame seeds. Cool and break into small pieces.

Note:
Use extreme caution when making this recipe. Melted sugar is very hot, and will sizzle when lime juice is added. Once the syrup is removed from the heat source it will harden in a fairly short period of time thus, work quickly and carefully!

Mứt Gừng Đậu Phọng (Candied Ginger with Peanuts)

Ingredients:
-100g ginger
-200g green papaya
-50g sesame seeds
-100g peanuts
-3 tsp salt
-sugar
-vanilla powder
-water

What to Do:
Toast sesame seeds and peanuts. Peel and grate ginger, mix with salt and enough water to cover the ginger, allow to sit overnight. Next morning wash ginger many times to remove all of the saltiness, drain and squeeze to remove excess water. Peel, seed and grate papaya. Mix together ginger and papaya. Determine the amount of sugar. Mix together sugar, ginger, and papaya. Marinate for a few hours, drain excess liquid. Follow instructions for “wet” version. Add vanilla powder, sesame seeds and peanuts right before candied ginger is done, mix thoroughly. Cool and wrap with cellophane.

Note:
The above ration of ginger to papaya is only a suggestion; adjust according to your preference of spiciness (from ginger). Salt helps rid the hot and spicy flavor from the ginger.

Mứt Sen Trần (Vietnamese Style Candied Lotus Seeds)

Ingredients:
-lotus seeds (dried)
-lye water
-sugar
-mali flavor
-water


What to Do:
For every liter of water add ½ tsp lye water. Wash lotus seeds and soak in lye solution until fully ‘rehydrated’. Remove from solution and wash thoroughly. Simmer the seeds until tender. Drain and wash the seeds once more before determining the amount of sugar. Add sugar along with some mali flavor. Gently mix and marinate overnight. Next morning, drain seeds from excess sugar (by now the sugar had turned into a syrup). Follow instructions for “dry” version but instead of “tossing” the seeds gently stir them with a spatula or shake the pan (lotus seeds are very fragile, thus take extra caution when performing this final step). It is recommended that the last step is done with small portions of lotus seeds at a time.

Notes:
To make the Chinese version of this treat, omit mali flavor.

Mứt Bí Tăm (Vietnamese Style Candied Wintermelon)

Ingredients:
-winter melon
-sugar
-mali flavor
-alum
-limestone paste
-water


Prepping the Melon:
Peel the melon, remove seeds. Cut melon into chopstick size pieces, about 3-4 inches long. For every liter of water mix in 1/2 tsp limestone paste. Soak melon slices into limestone solution for 3 hours. Remove and wash. For ever liter of water mix in 3/4 tsp alum. Bring alum solution to a boil, turn off the heat, and remove the pot of water off the heating element. Add in melon slices; remove the melon when they appear transparent. Wash thoroughly.

Weigh the melon to determine the amount of sugar. Sugar should be ¾ the weight of the melon. Mix together melon and sugar, add mali flavor. Next morning drain the melon from the excess sugar (by now the sugar will have turned into a syrup). Follow instructions for “dry” version to complete the recipe.


Notes:
To make the Chinese version of this treat, simply cut melon into bigger (thicker) strips and omit mali flavor. Alum, and limestone paste is optional. For a faster method, simply cut melon, boil for a few mins, and soak in cold water until cooled. Weigh and determine sugar, then make into final product. Alum makes the melon transparent and white. Limestone solution helps gives it the crispy and plump texture. However, too much limestone paste in the solution will make the melon yellowish in color. Alum is acidic, thus make sure the melon is thoroughly washed after soaking in alum solution.