Tanghulu originated from China and is a traditional snack consisting of sugar-coated hawthorns on a skewer. However, recently, it’s been really popular with fruits like grapes, strawberries, and oranges. When it was originally created, tanghulu (also known as bing tanghulu) it was made using hawthorn fruits. These berries are naturally sour, so naturally to appeal to children, it was covered with a sugar coating to make it sweeter.
Where can I find Tanghulu?
Tanghulu can be found from many different street vendors in Chinatown (NYC). There you can find both the hawthorn and fruit ones. However, note that some vendors might only sell the hawthorn ones.
If you don’t have the opportunity to visit Chinatown in the city, you can also make Tanghulu at home! You just need 5 things: sugar, water, ice, fruits, and skewers.
Wash your fruits and place them onto your skewers.
Prepare a bowl of ice water and measure the correct ratio of sugar and water. (I would experiment with the amount of sugar and water because you do not need that much sugar (stated on online recipes)) – Note: if you put too much sugar or water, just add more of the opposite ingredient.
Heat the sugar and water until you get a golden color. To test if your sugar is reading dip a chopstick and dip it into your ice water. If it’s crunchy when you bite it, the sugar is ready.
Pour the sugar syrup on top of your fruit skewers. (I would use a spoon to coat the skewers and hover it above the pot). Note: sugar syrup is very hard to clean up
Immediately dip your coated skewers into the ice water and let it crystalize.
And there you have your tanghulu!
