Description
Sweet candied hawthorn Tanghulu brings traditional Chinese street snack magic to home kitchens. Glazed fruit skewers offer delightful crunch and sugary coating you can easily craft with simple ingredients and careful technique.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 lb (453 g) strawberries, blueberries, grapes, or other fruit of choice
- 2 cups (400 g) white sugar
- 1 cup (240 ml) water
- Wooden skewers
Instructions
- Preparation: Thoroughly rinse fruits under running water, delicately dry with paper towels to eliminate excess moisture.
- Skewering: Carefully mount fruits onto wooden skewers, positioning each piece securely and evenly for consistent caramelization.
- Sugar Syrup Creation: Position heavy-bottomed saucepan on medium-high heat, combining sugar and water with precision, allowing mixture to bubble and transform into a rich golden amber color without stirring.
- Temperature Monitoring: Use candy thermometer to track syrup, waiting until it reaches the hard-crack stage at 300ºF/150ºC, then immediately remove from heat to prevent burning.
- Dipping Process: Tilt pan slightly and swiftly dip each fruit-laden skewer into hot sugar syrup, ensuring complete and uniform coating in one smooth motion.
- Cooling and Setting: Transfer glazed skewers to parchment-lined surface, allowing the crystalline sugar coating to rapidly cool and harden, creating a delicate, glass-like exterior.
- Serving: Once sugar shell completely solidifies, gently separate skewers and serve immediately to maintain the crisp, translucent coating and preserve the tanghulu’s pristine texture.
Notes
- Fruit Selection: Choose firm, ripe fruits like strawberries, mandarin oranges, or grapes with no bruises or soft spots for best caramelization results.
- Sugar Syrup Precision: Never stir the sugar mixture while heating to prevent crystallization; instead, gently swirl the pan for even color development.
- Temperature Control: Use a reliable candy thermometer to accurately track syrup temperature, ensuring perfect hard-crack stage without burning.
- Quick Dipping Technique: Work rapidly when coating fruits to prevent sugar from hardening prematurely and maintain a smooth, glossy finish.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Snacks, Desserts
- Method: Boiling
- Cuisine: Chinese
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 5
- Calories: 250
- Sugar: 50 g
- Sodium: 0 mg
- Fat: 0 g
- Saturated Fat: 0 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 64 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg