Aaaaah… the Popsicle. Popsicles, or Ice Pops, have to be my favourite form of frozen food, only second to the delicious salted butterscotch ice-cream from Merely Ice Cream at Bencoolen Street. Here the great thing about ice-pops: they are delightfully light and easy to consume. And when you infuse spicy flavours like ginger into a frozen treat, the contrast of cold and spicy on the tongue on a hot day is amazing. I first made this for my mother, who likes almost everything with a little ginger. I have since become an addict, looking for ginger desserts around town when I haven’t made my own. This recipe is adapted from ‘Ice Pops:”, a book I came across in the library. I suggest making this the night before and leaving it in the freezer for a party the next day. If you’d like to jazz things up a little, stick a few fresh mint leaves into the liquid before sticking it into the freezer – the colour and flavour of the mint leaves will highlight the ginger and lemon perfectly.
When making ice pops, always ensure that the liquid mixture is sweeter than necessary. Frozen delights always need to be such, as the process of freezing dulls the flavour a little.
I used regular ice pop molds I purchased from Sheng Siong for $2. If you don’t have these at home, you can use your ice cube tray or small plastic containers from SKP. Just stick an ice-cream stick into whatever container you’re using 1 hour into the freezing process. Always remember to leave ¼ inch of allowance for the popsicle to expand while in the freezer, so don’t fill the moulds to the brim.
Ingredients
- 3 inch piece of Ginger, peeled and grated
- 3 ½ cups Water
- 1 cup regular sugar
- 3 Lemons, zested and juiced
- Mint Leaves and Lemon Slices, to garnish
Method
- Place all ingredients into a saucepan and bring to a simmer, until sugar melts and the mixture becomes thick and syrup-like, about 10 mins. After this, pour the syrup through a sieve and allow to cool to room temperature.
- Then, pour out lemon ginger syrup into prepared moulds and freeze over night. If you’re using the mint leaves or lemon slices as garnish, now would be the time to put them in. This is going to make you a very popular entertainer amongst your friends. Perfect after a hot day out.
Notes
The ice pops need to be in the freezer for at least 8 to 24 hours, if you can wait that long.
