Tanghulu
糖葫蘆·(táng-hú-lú)
夜市 (Yèshì) - Recreating the Night Market at Home
300°F. At a Taipei night market, tanghulu goes beyond strawberries on a bamboo skewer: it starts with a firm cherry tomato split down the middle and stuffed with a sliver of huamei, a preserved plum. A shattering glass shell of pure sugar gives way to a burst of cold tomato juice and the salty, licorice-spiced chew of the plum. Achieving that snap requires one non-negotiable candy-maker's rule: once the sugar hits the heat, do not touch it with a spoon, or the syrup will crystallize into a grainy clump. Keep a bowl of ice water beside the burner, work fast once the bubbles slow, and listen as the sugar glass shatters.
Before you start
Make sure the washed cherry tomatoes are bone-dry before slicing.
Even a single drop of surface moisture will prevent the molten sugar from adhering and cause the shell to melt prematurely.
Tuck a sliver of preserved plum snugly into the slit of each tomato.
Thread 3 to 4 stuffed tomatoes onto 6-inch bamboo skewers, stopping the tip inside the top tomato.
Leaving the very top skin unpierced keeps acidic tomato juice from leaking out onto the surface and ruining the sugar coating.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set a small bowl of ice water right next to the stove.
Once the sugar hits the hard-crack stage, you have a ninety-second window before it burns; your landing zone and testing water must be ready.
Ingredients
- cherry tomatoes20 med
- preserved seedless black plums10 small
- white granulated sugar2 cup
- water1 cup
Method
- 01
Combine the sugar and water in a shallow, light-colored pan over medium heat without stirring.
Stirring agitates the sucrose molecules and triggers a chain reaction that turns the syrup into a grainy, crystallized mess. If the sugar dissolves unevenly, gently swirl the pan by its handle.
- 02
Boil the syrup undisturbed for 8 to 10 minutes until it reaches 300°F or passes the cold water test.
As the water evaporates, the bubbles will shrink and the syrup will turn the faintest shade of pale gold. To test without a thermometer, dip a chopstick into the boiling syrup and plunge it immediately into your bowl of ice water; bite the cooled sugar—if it shatters like glass without sticking to your teeth, it is ready.
- 03
Turn the heat down to its lowest setting to hold the temperature without burning the sugar.
- 04
Tilt the pan and twirl each skewer through the pooled syrup to coat the tomatoes in a thin, sheer layer.
Work fast—two seconds per skewer, maximum. Leaving the fruit in the boiling sugar any longer will cook the tomatoes and cause their skins to burst.
- 05
Lay the coated skewers on the parchment paper for 2 to 3 minutes until the shells harden into glass, then serve immediately.
Notes
Look for preserved plums labeled Hua Ying Zi, Seedless Black Plum, or Licorice Plum at your local Asian market.
If you cannot find them, substitute pitted American prunes cut into slivers and tossed with a microscopic pinch of kosher salt and Chinese five-spice powder.
Do not use brown, raw, or organic cane sugar for the syrup.
The molasses and mineral impurities will burn and turn bitter long before the candy reaches the hard-crack stage.
Never refrigerate finished Tanghulu.
The ambient humidity inside a refrigerator will immediately attack the sugar glass, weeping it into a sticky puddle. Make only what you plan to eat right away.