Tanghuru (Chinese-Style Candied Fruit Skewers)

Quick answer

Total time: 25 min
Level: Medium
Servings: 2 servings
Ingredients: 5

About this dish

Tanghuru is a candied fruit dessert made by skewering fresh strawberries, grapes, or other fruits and dipping them into sugar syrup heated to 150 degrees Celsius, the hard-crack stage.

At this precise temperature, the syrup sets into a thin, glass-like candy shell around each fruit; any lower and it remains sticky without hardening. Biting through the brittle sugar coating releases the fresh juice of the fruit inside, creating a sharp contrast between pure sugar sweetness and the fruit's natural tartness. The fruit must be thoroughly dried before dipping so the candy layer adheres in an even, transparent coat.

Ingredients

servings

IngredientAmountUnit

strawberries10 piecepiece

grapes10 piecepiece

sugar200 gg

water80 mlml

skewers4 piecepiece

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Instructions

Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.

6 steps

1

Prep

Wash 10 strawberries and 10 grapes, then trim away stems and any bruised spots.

Dry each piece thoroughly with paper towels because surface moisture prevents the candy coating from sticking evenly.
2

Season

Thread the fruit onto 4 skewers without squeezing it.

Leave a little space between pieces so the syrup can coat each surface quickly, and place the skewers near the stove before heating the sugar.
3

Control

Put 200 g sugar and 80 ml water in a saucepan and set it over medium heat.

Do not stir before the sugar dissolves; gently swirl the pan instead to avoid crystals forming on the sides.
4

Heat

When the syrup boils clear, lower the heat to medium low and cook until it reaches 150C.

If it is cooler, it will stay sticky, so watch for smaller bubbles and a slightly thicker texture.
5

Step

Keep the heat low and dip each fruit skewer into the syrup quickly.

Turn it only once for a thin coating, and do not hold it in the syrup long enough to warm or soften the fruit.
6

Finish

Set the coated skewers on parchment and let them harden for about 3 minutes.

Serve as soon as the surface feels glassy and firm, and avoid leaving them in a humid place for long.

Practical Cooking Checks

The cues that matter most while cooking.

Key technique: Fresh fruit dipped in hot caramelized sugar syrup sets into a thin, glass-hard shell: Korean Tanghuru.
Finish cue: Set the coated skewers on parchment and let them harden for about 3 minutes.
Avoid this: Do not stir before the sugar dissolves; gently swirl the pan instead to avoid crystals forming on the sides.