TANGHULU (Candied Fruit on a Stick)

TANGHULU or sugar candy coated fruit on a stick is a Chinese street food traditionally made with a fruit called "hawthorn fruit" but we are going to make using easily available fruits like strawberries, blueberries etc. You can use orange segments or even apples.

These crunchy, edible, glass candy-coated fruits are actually fruits skewered on sticks and then dipped in a “hard crack” sugar syrup.

Once cooled (which they do immediately!), they turn into these delicious, crunchy, crispy, hard candy like shells on warm, juicy and delicious fruits on a stick!

Although it sounds difficult, making these is actually super easy! All it needs is some sugar, water, your choice of fruits and some patience to make the right consistency “hard candy” syrup.

Make it with your family (like I did with mine) and have fun making and crunchy munching on these edible fruit candies but on a stick!

Enjoy and Happy Crunchy (karoom, karoom) Eating!

10-12 strawberries

Few blueberries

Few green grapes

Few cherries

2 cups granulated sugar

1 cup water

EQUIPMENT NEEDED:

Bamboo sticks or skewers (like you would need while grilling vegetables/meat etc.)

Silicone mat lined or parchment paper lined baking pan/sheet

1 saucepan

Candy thermometer (alternative option given in "Notes")

PREPPING THE FRUITS:

Remove stems from strawberries, wash and dry or wipe the fruits. Here you can use any fruit you like but I find strawberries taste the best candied. Apart from the above fruits, you can use orange segments too.

Cherries too are good but you will have to skewer them with the pits and then take care when eating as they will still have the pit in them!

Skewer fruits on bamboo or wooden sticks. If using strawberries, one or at the most 2 is enough.

You can also use a mix of fruits but make sure they do not exceed in number by 3 on each stick. Makes it easier to dip in the bubbling sugar syrup.

Place these skewered fruits near the stove top where you will be making the sugar syrup to make it easy to dip in syrup as soon as it comes time to dip them in sugar syrup.

Keep all the ingredients (sugar and water) as well as the candy thermometer ready.

Place the silicone mat lined baking sheet next to the stove top.

In a small deep saucepan, add the sugar and water; heat on medium to medium high heat; shaking the pan often.

Place a candy thermometer in the pan to monitor the temperature of the sugar syrup. Here, you need a “hard crack” stage in the syrup which is achieved at 300 degrees Fahrenheit.

If you do not have a candy thermometer, follow the instructions to check when you should dip the fruits in the syrup in an alternative method given in "Notes" section.

Keep boiling the syrup on medium high heat, shaking the pan gently in between until it reaches 300 degrees F which is the "hard crack" temperature needed to make the sugar coating hard on cooling, once coated on anything.

As soon as it reaches that “hard crack” temperature, start dipping the fruits one by one (tipping the saucepan ever so slightly so that the syrup pools in one section of the pan) until fully coated, twirling as needed.

Allow the excess syrup to drip back in the pan and then place the sugar syrup coated or candied fruit stick on the silicone mat lined pan kept next to the pan. This process should be done as quickly as possible at the same time taking care to not burn yourself with the boiling syrup!

You can also spoon the syrup over the fruits on the sticks when the amount of syrup reduces, rotating the stick as you drip the hot syrup.

Make sure to immediately place the sticks on the mat.

Continue dipping and setting them to harden until you run out of fruits or until the sugar syrup turns hard.

Let cool completely. This will take about 5 minutes.

Once cooled, enjoy crunchy, edible glass candy coated fruits as a snack right away.

These candied fruits or Tanghulu as they call it should be consumed the same day. As time passes the moisture in the fruits will melt the sugar in the coating.

If you do not have a candy thermometer, you can use the water test to gauge the syrup consistency. You can either dip a spoon in the hot syrup and then in ice cold water; it should harden immediately Or, place a drop of the boiling syrup in cold water. It should harden immediately to a hard ball.

Use a silicone mat or a good quality parchment paper to line your baking pan. Make sure to place this next to the stove top before starting to make the sugar syrup.

Have the fruits (thoroughly dried) skewered on the sticks before heating the sugar syrup. There is a very short window between the hard crack sugar syrup consistency and it getting burnt! Dipping fruits should be done fast.

These candied fruits a stick are best eaten right away or within a few hours. Once allowed to rest, the moisture in the fruits will tend to melt the hard candy on the coating.

Happy Snacking!