Can be substituted. If you really can't make transformed syrup then use honey instead. Conversion syrup is essential for making Cantonese mooncakes, its main function is to keep the mooncake's crust soft and fluffy, and it enhances the coloring of the crust. It is best to use acacia honey. It should be pure and natural. Sophora honey can make the mooncake taste better.

Transformation syrup is one of the most important ingredients for Cantonese mooncake crust, and the degree of transformation of the syrup directly determines the color, softness and flavor of the crust! Conversion syrup is actually sucrose (disaccharide) using acid decomposition, at a certain temperature, into monosaccharide (50% fructose and 50% glucose), so after cooling, the conversion syrup will not recrystallize, it is sweeter than ordinary sucrose, most of them are used in Chinese mooncake crusts, sakima and a variety of products instead of sugar.

Nowadays, many of the major mooncake manufacturers, the factory's masters cook their own syrup, and almost every one of them has a different syrup. The syrup produced is clear in color and non-crystalline when cooled. It is similar to the consistency of honey or a little thicker. However, different converted syrups require different mooncake recipes, concentration of alkaline and dosage.

Expanded Information

When boiling syrup, keep the heat on low. If the heat is turned up too high, the water evaporates too quickly and the syrup may thicken in less than 40 minutes. Because the minimum fire of the stove is different in every house, the caliber of the pot is also different, which will affect the evaporation of moisture. Be sure to keep an eye on the color and consistency of the syrup as it cooks. As soon as it's almost done, turn off the heat.

Also, if the water evaporates too quickly, in a short period of time your syrup water has evaporated almost, but the color is not yet in place, you can add more water to cook haha. Never let the water evaporate, the syrup temperature is too high, after cooling, but it will harden oh. If you have a high heat in your house, you can put a lid on it while cooking to prevent the water from evaporating too much.

If you don't want to cook so much syrup at one time, you can halve the sugar and lemon juice, but the amount of water is slightly reduced as appropriate, not halved, because no matter how much sugar is used, it must be simmered for a certain amount of time, and if the water is also reduced by half, it may take less than 20 minutes for the water to simmer dry.