Tang Hu Lu (Candied Hawthorn Skewers)
The roots of apple candy! Scarlet hawthorn and ultra-thin Parisian candy art
Description
The granddaddy of Japanese 'Candy Apples' or 'Strawberry Tanghulu'. A winter staple in Beijing/Northern China. Intensely tart, bright red 'Hawthorn berries' skewered on bamboo, dunked in boiling sugar water to form a glass-like, paper-thin, shatteringly crisp candy shell.
Restaurants serving Tang Hu Lu (Candied Hawthorn Skewers)
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On this site you can check dictionary details and, later, places to buy or eat related items.
The Recipe section below is a general reference, not a recipe from the listed shops.
Recipe
Ingredients
- Fresh Hawthorn berries
- White sugar
- Water
- Bamboo skewers
Instructions
- [Authentic Recipe & Differences]
- (Fruit) While strawberries are modern, the traditional authentic fruit is ABSOLUTELY 'Hawthorn berries'. Wash and skewer 5-
- on a bamboo stick.
- (Pro Candy Skill) Put white sugar and water in a wok at a '2:1' ratio.
- Heat it up and NEVER STIR with chopsticks (stirring crystallizes the sugar). Swirl the pan until big bubbles turn small and the syrup turns faintly yellow.
- Quickly twirl the skewered berries 'just once' through the surface bubbles of the hot candy.
- Too much candy sticks to your teeth; creating a 'paper-thin glass layer' is the artisan's skill.
- Slam it onto an oiled iron plate (or wet wooden board) and let the freezing winter air instantly harden the candy shell.
Learn more Spice, substitutes, tips
Key spices
Roasted candy aroma and extreme hawthorn tartness
Substitutes at Japanese supermarkets
Strawberries/Grapes (but lack tartness, becoming too sweet)
Pairing
Hot Chinese Tea(Eaten while walking)
Trivia
[Trivia] Japanese candy apples have thick shells that stick to your teeth. Candy made by a master Tanghulu artisan shatters lightly and NEVER sticks. It is the bright red street food that defines winter in Beijing.
Eating tips & etiquette
[Unique Eating] Eaten while walking through the freezing winter streets. Bite into it, and the candy shatters like glass ('CRACK!'). The 'tart, fluffy flesh' of the hawthorn bursts out. The contrast of pure sugar and intense sourness is absolute perfection.
Allergen
None