Li Hing Mui Gummy Bears — The Obsession

Ingredients

• 400 g Haribo gummy bears
• 30 g li hing mui powder, enough to coat generously
• For the double-hit version
• 60 ml li hing mui syrup, wet coating applied before the powder

Method

1. 1
   Place the gummy bears in a large bowl or zip-lock bag. If making the double-hit version, pour the li hing mui syrup over the bears first and toss until every surface is wetted — the bears should appear evenly glossed with reddish-brown liquid.
2. 2
   Add the li hing mui powder and toss thoroughly. This is where the dish lives or dies: the coating must be generous and uniform — every bear visibly reddish-brown, with no bare patches of translucent gummy showing. A light dusting is insufficient; if in doubt, add more powder and toss again.
3. 3
   Leave the bears to absorb the coating at room temperature for a few hours, turning occasionally. They are ready when the powder has adhered into a slightly tacky, deeply coloured crust and the aroma is distinctly musky plum.
4. 4
   Taste one bear: the correct result is an immediate sequence of sweet, then sharp sour, then salt, all held in the chewy gummy body. No single note should dominate.