tanghulu

recipe:

• 100 g granulated sugar
• 50 g water
• strawberries, or your choice of fruit
• red food coloring (optional)

method:

1. Wash and dry your fruits well. Make sure they are completely dry or else the sugar will not stick.
2. Insert a skewer into each fruit to make it easier to dip into your sugar mixture.
3. In a saucepan, add sugar and water (and food coloring if you’d like). Do not stir or else the sugar will crystallize and won’t be smooth.
4. Using a candy thermometer to measure the temperature accurately, boil the mixture until it reaches 150 degrees Celcius (300 degrees Fahrenheit). The aim is to boil all of the water out of the sugar mixture so you’re left with a hard candy. If you don’t heat it to a high enough temperature, you will be left with a sticky candy instead. You can test if it’s ready by dropping a bit of the sugar mixture into some water—if it hardens immediately, it is ready.
5. Take your sugar mixture off the heat, and slowly swirl your fruits in it and set it to harden on some baking paper. It should harden very fast.
6. You’re done!
7. On an extra note, please be careful when eating these. It’s very easy to cut yourself.