Tanghulu
Tanghulu, a traditional Chinese snack, involves skewering fruits onto bamboo sticks and dipping them into a syrup made from maltose. When exposed to air, the syrup quickly hardens, creating a crunchy coating.
Commonly enjoyed during the winter in northern China, it's often made with hawthorn fruits, providing a delightful mix of crispiness, sourness, and sweetness.
INGREDIENTS
- 20 hawthorn fruits
- 0.44 lbs(200g) granulated sugar or rock sugar
- 7.05 oz(200g) water
DIRECTIONS
Prepare about 20 hawthorn fruits, soak them in a pot of salted water for 15 minutes. After washing them thoroughly, drain the hawthorn fruits to remove excess moisture.Then remove the stems and blossom ends of the hawthorn fruits, and they're ready for use.
Tips:
1）The purpose of soaking with salt is to remove around 80% of pesticide residues from the hawthorn fruits. However, soaking time should not be too short or exceed 20 minutes.
2）Traditional Tanghulu is typically made using hawthorn fruits, but feel free to adjust according to your preference. For example, you can try strawberries, cherry tomatoes, or grapes.
Skewer the hawthorn fruits onto bamboo sticks, arranging 3-5 fruits per skewer.
Tips:
Before skewering, you can boil the bamboo sticks in boiling water for 1-2 minutes, then remove and drain them.
Place 0.44 lbs(200g) granulated sugar or rock sugar and 7.05 oz(200g) of water in a non-stick pan, stirring until well combined.
Heat over medium heat without stirring further. Initially, large bubbles may appear.
Tips:
When boiling sugar, avoid stirring. You can gently shake the pan to prevent sticking. Otherwise, the sugar may easily crystallize and form a sandy texture.
Cook for approximately 8-10 minutes until it forms dense small bubbles and turns slightly yellow.
Tips:
At this stage, you can choose to add 2 drops of white vinegar to maintain the crispiness of the Tanghulu.
Use chopsticks or spoons to take a small amount of the cooked syrup and place it into a bowl of prepared cold water. Let it sit for a few seconds, then remove it. If the syrup forms a hard lump and is crunchy when bitten without sticking to your teeth, it indicates that the syrup is ready. Otherwise, continue cooking.
Reduce the heat to low. While the syrup is still hot, quickly rotate the skewered hawthorn fruits on the surface of the syrup to coat them evenly with a thin layer of syrup.
Tips:
1）Rotate the hawthorn fruits on the surface of the syrup, avoiding submerging them into the syrup, as this can cause the fruit skin to crack and release moisture, preventing the syrup from coating properly.
2）Heating on low heat during the coating process can prevent the syrup from thickening too quickly. If you feel that the coated syrup has noticeably thickened, stop coating, as overly thick syrup will harden and be difficult to bite.
Place the finished Tanghulu on greaseproof paper or a baking tray brushed with cooking oil (to prevent sticking). Let them cool for 10 minutes until the syrup sets before enjoying.
The finished Tanghulu is delightfully sweet sourness and sweetness, incredibly tasty!