Dissolve about 1/2 teaspoon of alum in 1 L of water to make alum water. Add winter melon pieces and soak for about 2 hours. Make sure to cover all the pieces with enough alum water.

After soaking, drain using a strainer and wash thoroughly under running water 3 to 4 times until all the alum or lime is removed.

Boil sufficient water in a large pot that can cover all the melon pieces. Add the melon pieces and blanch in boiling water for about 5 minutes until transparent. Don’t cook too long otherwise, they will be too soft. Drain using a strainer and remove water as much as possible.

Meanwhile, add about 300 ml of water and 1/4 amount of sugar (250g) in a pot. Heat over medium heat stirring till the sugar dissolves and then turn down the heat to low. Add the drained melon to the pot of syrup and simmer for about 5 minutes. Do not let it boil. Now turn off the stove and take the pot from the stove. Leave the melon in the syrup overnight undisturbed so that chunks will absorb the sugar syrup well.

Next day, turn on the stove to low heat and place the pot with melon. Add 1/4 amount of sugar (250g). Stir gently until all the sugar has melted. Keep stirring at regular intervals. When the sugar syrup reaches a honey-like consistency, add another 1/4 amount of sugar (250g) and continue cooking. When sugar syrup gets thick in consistency, turn off the flame. Make sure the melon and sugar syrup don’t burn. Let the melon in the syrup until cooled.

Remove only the melon pieces with a slotted spoon leaving the sugar syrup in the pot. Separate the pieces after taking them them out of the sugar syrup, or else the pieces will stick to each other.

Add the last 1/4 (250g) of the sugar to the syrup left in the pot. Stir gently until all the sugar has melted. Add melon pieces back into the pan and continue to cook on low heat. Keep cooking until the syrup runs dry, the sugar is crystallized and all the melon pieces are coated. Now turn off the stove and let the melon cool down.

Transfer the pieces to parchment paper to cool completely. Keep them separate from each other to avoid sticking together.

Add about 250g of sugar to a plate. Roll the melon pieces one by one in the sugar. In the beginning, the sugar that is in contact with the pieces will melt. So you need to add more sugar as needed and then continue coating sugar until the outer layer remains coated with sugar granules. It is very important to let the melon pieces cool down before coating them with sugar.