Tanghulu Recipe

Tanghulu

By Emily Chen

I’ve always had a sweet tooth when it comes to snacking, much to my mom’s chagrin. So it’s no surprise that I love candy. This quarantine, however, I have been deprived of my Twizzlers and Sour Patch (maybe for the best). Candy comes packaged in plastic galore, and is also processed and unhealthy, so I thought now would be a great opportunity to share an alternative way to satisfy your sweet tooth in a healthier, low-waste way - tanghulu, introduced to me by my mom. Tanghulu is a Northern Chinese snack consisting of fruit covered in hard candy on bamboo skewers - traditionally the Chinese hawthorn, but I prefer fruit that’s more likely to be found sitting in your fridge, like strawberries, mandarin oranges, blueberries, or grapes. Tanghulu is super simple to make, with a grand total of 3 ingredients (wow!), and is super low-waste! Any leftover candy syrup can be used to make a caramel sauce that you can use to top your desserts or your coffee. Here’s the recipe: Simple Tanghulu: Yield: 4 servings Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 5 minutes Ingredients:

• 2 cups of sugar
• 1 cup of water
• Fruit of your choice

Instructions:

1. Wash and dry your fruit of choice and remove the stem if applicable.
2. If using bamboo sticks, skewer your fruit.
3. Add your sugar and water into a pan, and mix them well.
4. Melt all the sugar on low heat, and then turn the heat up to medium until your mixture begins to form bubbles and changes color. You’ll know it’s ready when you can use a chopstick to dip the syrup into cold water and have it solidify quickly!
5. Dip your fruit (on the skewer, or individually if you choose to do so) into the syrup quickly, coating all sides, and then place on a plate to cool.
6. Enjoy!
7. Optional: Leftover syrup can be turned into caramel sauce by leaving the leftover syrup on the stove until it turns into a light brown, caramel color. After this, add a quarter cup of boiling water to the pan and stir to finish!