Also called malt sugar, this syrup, which has been produced in China since the second century BC, is the Chinese equivalent of corn syrup or liquid glucose. The raw ingredient is cereal starch which is converted to sugar by the process of malting.

The starch may be from wheat, rice, barley or other grains. The container in my pantry lists its contents as rice, malt and water. It is very thick, sticky and difficult to spoon out, so use a sturdy metal spoon.