Ingredients
Fruit
- 400 gfresh hawthorn berries, shanzha
- or strawberries, grapes, mandarin segments
Syrup
- 400 gcaster sugar
- 200 mlwater
- 1 tbspglucose syrup or a squeeze of lemon, optional
Equipment
- bamboo skewers
- a sugar thermometer
- a bowl of iced water, for safety
- a lined tray or a greased marble slab
To serve
- immediately, in winter, on the street
Directions
- Keep a bowl of iced water beside you and plunge any splash straight into it.
- Keep children and pets out of the kitchen, never lean over the pan, and do not move a pan of hot syrup any further than you must. Hawthorn berries are the original and they are ideal: firm, tart and dry-skinned, which is exactly what the coating needs.
- Wash the fruit well ahead, dry each piece individually with kitchen paper, and leave them out to air-dry for an hour. Chilling the fruit briefly also helps the syrup set faster on contact.
- Thread the fruit onto skewers, three or four pieces each, and set them ready. Put the sugar and water in a heavy pan and stir only until the sugar has dissolved. Stop stirring once it is dissolved and never stir again. Swirl the pan gently instead if you need to.
- Brush the sides of the pan down with a wet pastry brush to dissolve any stray crystals. Now boil it, without stirring, until it reaches 150 to 155°C, the hard crack stage.
- Use a thermometer. Below hard crack the coating stays chewy and tacky; above about 160°C it colours and turns bitter. Work quickly. The syrup thickens as it cools and it becomes unusable within a couple of minutes.
- Let the excess run off, then lay the skewer on a lined tray or a greased slab. Do not touch the coating while it is hot, at any point. Serve it straight away, and expect the shell to shatter loudly at the first bite.
Technique
- Hawthorn berries are sold fresh in Chinese shops in autumn and winter.
- The shell softens quickly and it is always eaten fresh.
- Filled versions with red bean paste are traditional in Beijing.
Substitutions
- Strawberries or grapes, dried thoroughly.
- There is no substitute for a thermometer if you want it reliable.
Variations
- Filled with red bean paste.
- Rolled in sesame seeds while the syrup is wet.
- Made with mandarin segments or cape gooseberries.
History
Song-dynasty legend credits a court physician who cured an imperial consort with hawthorn boiled in sugar, sold thereafter on Beijing streets.
Frequently asked questions
What is Tanghulu?
Tanghulu is a street food from China: skewered hawthorn berries in a crackling candied sugar shell. Song-dynasty legend credits a court physician who cured an imperial consort with hawthorn boiled in sugar, sold thereafter on Beijing streets.
How long does Tanghulu take to make?
Tanghulu takes 20 min of preparation and 15 min of cooking. The recipe makes 8 skewers. It is rated hard to make.
What can I substitute in Tanghulu?
Yes, within limits. Strawberries or grapes, dried thoroughly. There is no substitute for a thermometer if you want it reliable.
What is the most important thing to get right in Tanghulu?
Keep children and pets out of the kitchen, never lean over the pan, and do not move a pan of hot syrup any further than you must. Hawthorn berries are the original and they are ideal: firm, tart and dry-skinned, which is exactly what the coating needs.
