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Three candied fruit skewers with glossy red strawberries and purple grapes coated in a crackly tanghulu sugar shell, arranged on a white plate on a rustic wooden table

Tanghulu (Candied Fruit Skewers)

A viral Chinese street snack of fresh strawberries and grapes dipped in a glassy, crackly hard-crack sugar shell, ready in about 15 minutes.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings: 6 skewers
Calories: 120
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 20 to 24 fresh strawberries and/or seedless grapes rinsed and completely dried
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2 tablespoons light corn syrup or 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 6 to 8 wooden skewers or bamboo sticks
  • A bowl of ice water for setting the candy shell

Method
 

  1. Wash the fruit and pat it completely dry with paper towels; even a little moisture will keep the sugar shell from sticking. Let the fruit sit out for about 10 minutes to air-dry fully.
  2. Thread 3 to 4 pieces of fruit onto each skewer, leaving a few inches of bare stick at the bottom as a handle. Set the skewers on a plate and line a separate tray with parchment paper.
  3. Combine the sugar, water, and corn syrup in a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Attach a candy thermometer if you have one.
  4. Bring to a boil over medium heat without stirring, swirling the pan occasionally instead. Cook until the syrup reaches 300 to 310 degrees F, the hard-crack stage, about 8 to 10 minutes; it will look thin and turn a very pale straw color.
  5. Remove the pan from the heat immediately and tilt it slightly to pool the syrup on one side.
  6. Working quickly, dip and twirl each skewer of fruit in the hot syrup until fully coated, letting the excess drip back into the pan.
  7. Immediately dip the coated fruit into the bowl of ice water for 2 to 3 seconds, then set it on the parchment-lined tray. The shell will harden into a crackly coating within a couple of minutes.