OFF THE SHELF
Palm sugar can be used just like brown sugar

By Wanda A. Adams
Advertiser Food Editor

This is how palm sugar usually is sold. The hard disks can be pared, grated or crushed before use. Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser

You'll find this creamy textured, unrefined sugar in Asian markets or in Chinatown: It's usually in the form of small, tan pressed discs, but may also be in bricks. The sugar may be rather hard, in which case you can use a vegetable peeler or grater to chip off what you need. Otherwise, it should crumble readily.

A soft, spreadable version, like a honey or fruit butter, also is made for the Indian market and is used on bread just as you would honey or jam. We haven't seen this version here.

Palm sugar has a distinctive maple-like flavor and fragrance. It can be used just as you would brown sugar — on cereal, in baked goods, in cooked dishes that need a mild sweetener.

Asians use it to balance sour or tangy ingredients in sauces, dips and dressings. It also is used in making candies and desserts.