Tanghulu (caramel strawberry skewers)
These crunchy, caramel-dipped strawberry sticks are a popular street food in northern China and can be made with any small whole fruit, such as blueberries and grapes.
- Makes6
- CourseSnack
- Prepare10 mins
- Cook20 mins
- Total time30 mins
- Pluscooling
Ingredients
- 18 small strawberries
- 200g caster sugar
Method
Remove the leaves from the strawberries. Leave the hull intact to avoid any juices escaping – keeping the fruit dry is key. Carefully thread 3 strawberries each onto 6 small bamboo skewers.
Place the sugar and 100ml cold water into a small saucepan (see tip), then heat to a simmer, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Turn up the heat and boil, without stirring, until the syrup reaches 148°C, or ‘hard crack’ stage. Remove from the heat. (If you don’t have a thermometer, see tips.)
Working quickly, dip the strawberries in the caramel, turning until evenly coated. Set on a sheet of baking parchment to cool and harden. The caramel will start to soften over time, so these are best eaten within a few hours.
Cook’s tip
Use the smallest saucepan you have so there’s enough depth of caramel to dip the skewers easily. If you prefer, skewer and dip single strawberries.
If you don’t have a thermometer, use a glass of water. Drizzle a little syrup into the water. If it forms threads that immediately harden and become brittle, it’s ready.
Nutritional
Typical values per item when made using specific products in recipe
Energy | 629kJ/ 148kcals |
|---|---|
Fat | 0.1g |
Saturated Fat | 0.1g |
Carbohydrates | 36g |
Sugars | 36g |
Fibre | 1.1g |
Protein | 0.4g |
Salt | 0.1g |