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Despite citrus holding huge cultural significance in Chinese households, I had a love/hate relationship the sour fruits as a kid. I loved orange juice and citrus flavored things (still do) but absolutely hated dealing with the rind and pith. The bitterness and texture of the white parts of an orange really freaked me out, so much so that at soccer games I used to bite on each orange slice and suck out the juice, but leave the flesh in tact.
Needless to say the idea of kumquats really freaked me out for a long time — a citrus where you’re supposed to eat the whole thing, skin, seeds, and all? But as with bananas, tomatoes, and a few other fruits/vegetables before them, I decided one day to force myself to appreciate kumquats. It actually wasn’t too hard once I made the leap — they’re the perfect fruit for anyone who loves sour candy, like myself. The flavor is like the most concentrated version of a citrus, so bright and sunny, with tart, sweet, and bitter notes in harmony. The bitterness, to my surprise, was much less prominent than I had expected considering I was eating the entire pith, and I loved that they didn’t need to be peeled.
Kumquats are now one of my favorite fruits, and I’m super lucky because they are everywhere in Southern California where I live. In fact, some might say there are too many — you’ll often find neglected trees dropping hundreds of the fruits on the sidewalk and streets. In fact, I once almost got in trouble for collecting these forgotten kumquats.
There are many different varieties of kumquats, but the one I fell in love with was Nagami — a tart variety with an oval shape. Its sharp flavor makes it the perfect candidate to be candied, and the perfect way to candy a fruit, in my opinion, is tanghulu. Tanghulu originates in China and involves stacking fresh fruit on a skewer and dipping it into a hard candy coating, not dissimilar from the candy apple here in America. But unlike candy apples, which in my opinion are so unwieldy that they’re not appealing, tanghulu fruits are usually cut up into nearly bite-sized pieces making them better to snack on. Tanghulu kumquats aren’t very traditional, but they are gorgeous — the orange orbs look a little like glass beads once they’re coated in sugar.
They’re also not too hard to make, but you’ll just need to be careful because working with hot sugar always has a little bit of risk associated with it — sugar burns are no joke!
By the way: did you know that kumquats originated in southern China and the name kumquat is derived from the Chinese word gum gwut meaning “golden mandarin”?
A couple tips for success
Tanghulu isn’t too hard to make but you can set yourself up for success by following these tips:
- Stir your sugar and water together before heating, but stop stirring once it’s on the heat. This can cause crystallization, which you don’t want.
- If you see crystals start to form on the sides of the pan, use a pastry brush dipped in water to gently brush away those crystals before they become a problem.
- Clean and dry your kumquats very well to promote better adhesion between the kumquats and the sugar. It still won’t stick perfectly, but making sure your fruit is dry will help the process.
- Use sturdy skewers – the last thing you want is for your skewer to break mid-dip which would not only be sad, but also a bit dangerous. I prefer using shorter, thicker bamboo skewers that are usually used for yakitori, like these.
- If you repeatedly have trouble with this recipe you can try adding 1-2 tsp of light corn syrup to the sugar mixture, which should help stabilize it.
- These are best eaten immediately after cooling, as the sugar will degrade and begin to melt over time.
- Though not strictly necessary, a candy thermometer is recommended to ensure best results. Otherwise, you may not reach the right stage to get your sugar to achieve a crunchy texture. Luckily, they’re pretty affordable and are a great tool to have in your kitchen for future projects.
Tanghulu Kumquats
Equipment
- 6 small but strong skewers, like for yakitori
- 1 candy thermometer optional, but your results may vary if you only use visual cues
Ingredients
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup water
- 18 kumquats preferably a tart variety, like Nagami*
- 3 cups ice water exact amount not important — enough to dip skewers after sugar
Instructions
- Prepare by washing your fruit well (kumquats especially can pick up a lot of dirt while on the tree), then drying with a clean kitchen towel. You want to make sure your fruit is completely dry before dipping so the sugar adheres better.18 kumquats
- Skewer kumquats with your yakitori skewers — I like to do 3 to a stick. As you're stacking them, you can experiment with the direction they're facing, but you'll want to make sure you skewer near the middle of each fruit. Otherwise, as you're dipping, the fruit may rotate which makes it challenging to get full coverage and can be dangerous when dealing with hot sugar.
- Add sugar and water to a small sized shallow pan, like a frying pan and stir with a fork to combine.2 cups granulated sugar, 1 cup water
- Stop stirring and heat the pan on medium-high until the sugar melts fully, the mixture turns to a golden syrup, and the temperature reaches 300F.
- Turn off the heat, and very carefully dip each skewer into the sugar, rotating to coat completely. For kumquats, the sugar sometimes doesn't like sticking to the skin, so it's important to get full coverage on the fruits so the shell will coat properly.
- Dip the sugar-coated skewers in ice water to set, then transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet to let cool fully before eating.
- Tanghulu is best eaten soon after you make it, otherwise the sugar will begin to melt.