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Strawberries Tanghulu Skewers on a white plate with grapes and blue berries tanugul as well.
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4.53 from 17 votes

Tanghulu Recipe

Tanghulu is a traditional northern Chinese snack, candied fruits like no other, these fruits have a candy coating that is not soft but rather hard candy. Fruit skewer with brittle shattering sugar syrup for a crunchy sweet and sour treat.
Prep Time5 mins
Cook Time20 mins
Course: Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: Asian, Chinese
Diet: Halal, Vegetarian
Servings: 8 Servings
Calories: 230kcal
Author: Amira

Ingredients

  • ½ pound to 1 pound fruits of choice depends on the size, for strawberries use 1 pound (About 8-10 large strawberries)

For the syrup:

  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 Tablespoons honey

Instructions

  • Clean fruits thoroughly in cold water and let them dry completely before starting.
  • Thread the fruits in bamboo skewers. One or two per skewer depending on the size.

Make the Syrup:

  • In a saucepan put sugar, water and honey then stir to combine.
  • Bring the sugar water to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer the sugar mixture until a candy thermometer reads 300 degrees to 315F. This will take about 20 minutes.

Make the Tanghulu:

  • Remove pot from heat and work quickly. Tilt you pan and dip the fruit(s) to cover , let it drip excess syrup.
  • Roll in iced water to cool quickly and harden. The point here is to make a hard cracj sugar coating for the fruits.
  • Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and let it finish hardening.
  • Fruits should harden very quickly and the coating should be shattering hard.

Notes

  • I recommend one or two fruit per skewer depending on the size, for blueberries use more of course as they are smaller. I've put three strawberries on a skewer and it was hard to dip in the syrup.
  • You will need to move quickly that's why it is better to prepare your fruits before making the syrup. Or else you will find the syrup starts to cool down and it will crystalize and will harden into a sandy mixture almost instantly. I've tried to revive it with no avail unfortunately.
  • Fruits need to be completely dry before dipping them in the hot sugar syrup.
  • You can use literally other kinds of fruits to make this favorite Chinese street food. Some people like using cuties, dragon fruit, pineapples, cuties or any sour fruits. I find it hard to use some of these fruits because of the moisture.
  • It is crucial to use a thermometer, I need to tell you that when I left the syrup at 285F the syrup did not harden enough on the fruits. Temperature needs to reach 300F to 315 degrees F, i.e the hard crack stage this way the sugar coating will harden and becomes brittle.
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Nutrition

Calories: 230kcal | Carbohydrates: 59g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 3mg | Potassium: 90mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 58g | Vitamin A: 7IU | Vitamin C: 33mg | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 1mg