Cane sugar is sugar made from sugarcane. The cane is crushed to extract its juice, which is cleaned, boiled down and crystallised; the crystals are then spun away from the molasses and, for white sugar, refined further. Refined cane sugar is sucrose, chemically the same as sugar made from sugar beet, and the two taste practically identical. Less refined cane sugars keep some molasses, which gives a light brown colour and a caramel note.
Thailand is one of the world’s largest sugarcane growers and sugar exporters, so cane sugar is the everyday sugar in Thai snacks. Besides sweetness, sugar adds body, helps preserve fruit products by binding water, and browns when heated.
In Plum & Tamarind Ball, cane sugar is balanced against sour tamarind and plum, salt and chilli, the classic Thai sweet, sour, salty and spicy combination.
