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I just tried making Tanghulu, a street food originating from China, after seeing photos of my partner-in-food, @nomtastickim, trying some in Korea, and it’s super easy to make at home! 😋
It’s a fun dessert that adds a little sweetness and CRUNCH to your favorite fruits, and you only need a few ingredients, fruit, sugar, water, and skewers 🍓
If you love that sweet-coated fruit idea, Sweet and Sour Frozen Grapes are another no-cook version: green and purple grapes tossed in lime, rolled in sugar, and frozen until they turn into popsicle-like bites.
You’re basically coating the fruit in a thick simple syrup of sorts and then immediately dunking it into an ice water bath, which almost instantly hardens the syrup.
If you like simple, surprising flavor combinations, vanilla ice cream with olive oil and salt is another one to try: just three ingredients and no cooking required, with that same sweet-meets-savory contrast.
👉 The full recipe is below, and be sure to let me know what you think if you give it a try! 🙌
INGREDIENTS
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup water
fruits
bamboo skewers
ice
INSTRUCTIONS:
1️⃣ Put the fruit on the skewers.
2️⃣ Pour water and ice into a medium sized bowl for use later.
3️⃣ Pour water and sugar into a small sauce pan on medium heat and leave it there until it turns brown and starts to bubble. Don’t stir it! Just leave it there. It’ll start bubbling within a few minutes, but won’t turn brown until a bit later.
4️⃣ Once it turns brown, you’ll notice it’s also thicker, which is the consistency we want. Turn off the heat, and wait for it to stop bubbling.
5️⃣ Then, roll your skewered fruit in the syrup until totally coated, and immediately dunk it into the bowl of ice water, which will harden it within a few seconds.
6️⃣ Plate them or just dig in!
Tanghulu
- Total Time: 20
- Yield: 6 skewers 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Tanghulu is the viral Chinese candied fruit on a stick: fresh fruit dipped in a hard sugar syrup that shatters when you bite in. Just two ingredients and a few minutes of work.
Ingredients
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup water
- Fruit of choice (strawberries, grapes, or mandarin segments)
- Ice (for an ice water bath)
Get Recipe Ingredients
Instructions
- Skewer the fruit. Thread the fruit onto bamboo skewers.
- Prep an ice bath. Pour water and ice into a medium bowl and set it aside for later.
- Make the syrup. Pour the water and sugar into a small sauce pan over medium heat and leave it, without stirring, until it turns amber and bubbles. It bubbles within a few minutes but takes longer to color.
- Check the consistency. Once it turns amber it also thickens, which is what you want. Turn off the heat and wait for the bubbling to stop.
- Coat and set. Roll each skewer of fruit in the syrup until fully coated, then immediately dunk it into the ice water to harden the shell in seconds.
- Serve. Plate them or dig right in.
Notes
- Dry the fruit completely before dipping; any water makes the sugar shell cloudy and soft.
- Do not stir the syrup once the sugar dissolves, or it can crystallize.
- Eat tanghulu the same day; the shell softens within a few hours.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 10
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Chinese
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 skewer
- Calories: 150 kcal
- Sugar: 36g
- Sodium: 2mg
- Fat: 0g
- Saturated Fat: 0g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 39g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 0g
- Cholesterol: 0mg