WHERE AND HOW TO GET GULA MELAKA AKA PALM SUGAR?

One of you asked where you can find gula melaka or palm sugar or coconut sugar. You can always find it in an Asian supermarket. They have it in a thick gooey paste like the picture above. It is so thick that even the ladle does not sink.

It is difficult to tell which gula melaka is good or pure. Sometimes the manufacture add a lot of sugar to it and called it the real deal. It is hard to say. We always look at the color, the darker the better. Needless to say, you can get the real deal in Malacca. However, during our recent trip to Malacca, we have been told that some shops have the gula melaka with sugar. Well, it is hard to tell, but any of it in Malacca is worth getting.

We got it from the pineapple pastry shop that also opens Anak Nonya Restaurant.

If you do not need the whole chunk, you should chop it or scrape it.

Some people like to drop the whole chunk into the coconut syrup they are making.

Sometimes it is so expensive to buy gula melaka overseas, we tend to mix a little sugar with it. Always keep your gula in the fridge, it will keep forever and keep away ants.

Oh yes, you can also get it in a syrup form. We usually ignore that because of weight and flight baggage limits. Buying it in the traditional bamboo molded shape seems to be as close to Malacca as anyone can get.