Description
Sweet street vendor magic meets kitchen creativity with strawberry tanghulu, a Chinese candy-coated fruit sensation. Glossy caramel shells encase plump strawberries, offering crackly texture and sugary delight you’ll crave from first crisp bite.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 1 pint (16 ounces / 450 grams) fresh strawberries, washed and thoroughly dried
- 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (120 milliliters) water
Additional Ingredients:
- ¼ cup (60 milliliters) light corn syrup (optional, for extra shine and stability)
- Bamboo skewers or toothpicks
Garnish/Optional Ingredients:
(None)
Instructions
- Carefully prepare fresh strawberries by gently removing stems or preserving them for an elegant presentation.
- Pat strawberries completely dry using clean paper towels, ensuring no moisture remains to guarantee perfect sugar coating adhesion.
- Select sturdy bamboo skewers and carefully thread 2-3 plump strawberries onto each stick, arranging them with slight spacing for even caramelization.
- Create a crystalline sugar syrup by heating granulated sugar in a heavy-bottomed saucepan, allowing it to melt and transform into a golden, translucent liquid.
- Monitor the sugar’s temperature precisely, watching for a deep amber hue that indicates optimal caramelization without burning.
- Quickly and confidently dip each skewered strawberry into the molten sugar, rotating to ensure complete and uniform coverage.
- Swiftly remove the coated strawberries and suspend them over a silicone mat or parchment paper, allowing excess sugar to drip and form a delicate, glass-like shell.
- Let the tanghulu cool for several minutes until the sugar hardens into a crisp, glossy coating that shatters delicately when bitten.
- Serve immediately to preserve the candied strawberries’ optimal texture and visual appeal.
Notes
- Pat strawberries completely dry to ensure the sugar coating sticks perfectly and creates a crisp, glossy shell.
- Choose firm, ripe strawberries with bright red color for the best texture and sweetness in your tanghulu.
- Consider using wooden skewers with pointed ends for easier piercing and more elegant presentation.
- For a dietary twist, swap strawberries with other fruits like mandarin oranges, grapes, or pineapple chunks to create unique tanghulu variations.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Snacks, Desserts
- Method: Mixing
- Cuisine: Chinese
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 267
- Sugar: 50 g
- Sodium: 0 mg
- Fat: 0 g
- Saturated Fat: 0 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 67 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg