Description
Learn how to make tanghulu, a delightful Chinese street food snack that coats fresh fruit in a crunchy sugar shell.
Ingredients
Scale
Fresh Fruit:
- 2 cups fresh fruit (traditionally hawthorn berries, or use strawberries, grapes, mandarin segments, or cherry tomatoes)
Sugar Syrup:
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup water
Additional:
- Skewers or bamboo sticks
- Ice water (for dipping)
Instructions
- Prepare Fruit: Wash and thoroughly dry the fruit. Thread 2–3 pieces of fruit onto each skewer, leaving space at the bottom for holding.
- Make Sugar Syrup: In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and water. Heat until the mixture reaches 300°F (hard crack stage) on a candy thermometer.
- Coat Fruit: Dip each fruit skewer into the syrup, then into the ice water bath to set the sugar shell.
- Cool and Serve: Place tanghulu on a parchment-lined tray to cool completely. Serve immediately for maximum crunch.
Notes
- Dry fruit completely to help the sugar stick.
- Substitute honey for part of the sugar for a deeper flavor.
- Best eaten fresh as the sugar coating may soften over time.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 skewer
- Calories: 120
- Sugar: 24g
- Sodium: 0mg
- Fat: 0g
- Saturated Fat: 0g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 30g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 0g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
