Easy Homemade Tanghulu

Prepare the fruit

1. Wash the fruit thoroughly with cold water. Cut the green leaves off if using strawberries. Pat dry COMPLETELY with paper towels.
2. Insert skewers into the strawberries (or other fruit). Arrange several pieces of fruit on a bamboo skewer. Set aside. (Do not add too many pieces as it might be difficult to coat all of them if your saucepan is not deep enough.)
3. Line a baking sheet with a nonstick baking mat or parchment. This will prevent the coated fruit from sticking onto the surface.

Make the Sugar Syrup

1. Add sugar, corn syrup, and water to a heavy-duty medium saucepan over medium heat. Don’t use a large saucepan as it can make the syrup too shallow for dipping.
2. Stir gently to help the sugar melt. Do not turn the temperature up or down - keep it at medium heat the entire time. Stir constantly until the sugar is melted.
3. Once the sugar has mostly melted, stop stirring and bring it to a boil. Attach a candy thermometer into the pot, making sure the bulb is not touching the bottom of the pan, as this can lead to an inaccurate reading.
4. Without stirring, let the syrup mixture cook for about 15 to 25 minutes until the temperature reaches 320°F (hard crack stage). If you don’t have a thermometer, dip a teaspoon into cold water and then into the mixture. If it hardens immediately, then the temperature is correct. Once the temperature reaches 320°F, turn off the heat.

Coat the Fruit

1. Holding the skewer, dip your fruit into the saucepan, and tilt the saucepan as needed to submerge each piece of fruit into the syrup completely. Make sure to coat the end of the fruit. (Otherwise, the hot candy will soften the strawberries, causing the juice to come out from the end.)
2. Lift the skewer and swirl it around to gently tap it against the side of the saucepan to shake off the excess syrup. Place the coated fruit to the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining fruits.

Let it Set

1. Allow the candied fruit to set for 10-15 minutes before serving.
2. To eat a tanghulu, you can bite right into it or pull the fruits out of the stick and place them on a plate.
3. For later enjoyment, you can loosely cover it with plastic wraps and store the leftover candied fruit in the fridge for 2-3 days.