If you've scrolled through TikTok recently then you've likely come across a video or two of people eating tanghulu, a skewer of sugar-coated fruit that has been taking over the ASMR scene online.
Tanghulu, also known as candied fruit or sugar-coated fruit, originated in Northern China. The dessert involves submerging fruit skewers into a syrup made by bowling down sugar and allowing the sugar coating to harden, creating a gem-like concoction.
The mouthwatering food trend has since exploded in South Korea over the past year, with countless Korean creators filming themselves eating the sugar-coated orbs on-camera, creating what can only be described as a crunchy ASMR dream.
After watching tanghulu videos endlessly on TikTok, I decided to give the food trend a go.
@mikechaar TANGHULU 🍇🍓🍊🫐 I decided to hop onto the candied fruit trend I’ve seen all over TikTok and despite it being my first time trying to make tanghulu, it came out pretty great — and they tasted amazing. #tanghulu #candiedfruit #tanghulurecipe #candiedgrapes #candiedstrawberries #candiedfruits #candiedorange #candied #recipe #fruit #fruitsalad #tanghulufruits #tanghuluasmr #tanghulurecipe #fyp #foryoupage❤️❤️
I went ahead and purchased a bag of green grapes, some strawberries, pineapple and clementines. I washed and dried the fruits thoroughly since any moisture that gets picked up will leave the fruits less candied and less crunchy.
Once your fruit is washed and dried, feel free to skewer them on a bamboo stick. You can opt to mix and match or keep each skewer designated to a specific fruit. Toss them on a pan with parchment paper and prepare a dish big enough to fit your skewers with ice water — we'll get to why soon.
Once your skewers are set, it's time to create the sugar mixture.
In a pot or a pan, add two cups of sugar and one cup of water and turn your stove to high. Now, most TikTok videos say to let the mixture boil until 300 degrees F but your boy over here doesn't have a thermometer. Oops!
So, when your sugar mixture has been boiling for a while how exactly do you know when it's done? This is where your dish of ice-cold water comes into play.
Allowing the sugar to turn amber, grab a single fruit-less skewer and toss it into the syrup and then immediately into the ice-cold water. If the syrup hardens and crunches, your fruit is ready to be submerged. If it is still slightly gooey, then the sugar needs a bit more time to cook.
Despite the recipe seeming simple enough, the sugar mixture can burn quite easily, so it's important to keep an eye on it while it's boiling.
Once you've got a gorgeous sugary syrup, turn the stove to low, so that your sugar mixture remains warm and doesn't crystallize. One by one, swirl in your fruit skewers.
Now, this was a bit tricky for me since I had to tilt the pan in order to cover all of the fruits, which led me to burn the tips of my thumbs. So, please. Be very careful not to burn yourself.
@hyo.boss #asmr 🍡🍊🍓🫐🍋 여러분의 최애 탕후루를 댓글로 남겨주세요~~!! #탕후루먹방 #왕가탕후루 #탕후루asmr #koreanmukbang#koreanmukbang #eatingasmr
After coating your fruit with the syrup, toss it into the ice-cold water for a few seconds — allowing the sugar to completely harden. Then set the skewer aside on the parchment paper and sugar coat the remainder of your fruit.
The result? A tray full of candied fruits.
While the process of creating tanghulu was certainly fun and exciting, the best part was always biting into the fruit skewers. You're met with a glass-like exterior and a wildly juicy inside — creating the perfect texture and flavour combo.
So, who's ready to tanghulu?
This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.
Winter time at La Visitation Park in Montreal.
A street market in Tours, France.