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Description
A simple, beginner-friendly recipe for making the popular Chinese candied fruit snack, tanghulu, at home with a crispy sugar shell.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 cup mixed fresh fruit (strawberries, grapes, mandarin oranges)
- Wooden skewers
- Ice water bath (optional)
Instructions
- Wash and thoroughly dry your chosen fruits. Hull strawberries and remove grapes from the vine. Thread fruit onto wooden skewers, leaving space between pieces and at the bottom.
- In a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine sugar and water. Heat over medium-high heat without stirring until the syrup reaches the hard crack stage (300-310°F or 149-154°C).
- Remove syrup from heat. Dip a fruit skewer into the hot syrup, rotating to coat evenly. Work quickly and let excess syrup drip off.
- Transfer coated skewers to parchment paper or a silicone mat. For a quicker set, briefly dip in an ice water bath before placing on parchment. Let cool completely until the sugar shell is hard and crisp.
- Enjoy immediately.
Notes
- Moisture on the fruit prevents a crispy coating.
- If you don’t have a candy thermometer, test the syrup by dropping a bit into cold water; it should harden instantly and snap.
- The sugar coating can soften in humid conditions.
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 10 min
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Candying
- Cuisine: Chinese
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 skewer
- Calories: 150
- Sugar: 38g
- Sodium: 0mg
- Fat: 0g
- Saturated Fat: 0g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 38g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 1g
- Cholesterol: 0mg