Crunchy, sweet, and spicy- this mango Tanghulu recipe is a must-try if you’re looking to try something different and out-of-the-box.
You’ll need just 3 ingredients and a few minutes of kitchen time to make this popular Chinese street food with an added Mexican twist.
This candied fruit has a delicious sugar coating that tastes just like hard candy, a nice sprinkle of spicy Tajin, and soft, tender, and juicy fruit inside.
Sometime back, I decided to use my homemade Tajin seasoning on fresh summer fruits and the result was amazing!
My mango con Tajin and watermelon Tajin salad were both big hits, and inspired by just that, I decided to make a simple yet delicious fruit snack, using just that combination.
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What's So Great About the Recipe?
I love how the recipe barely takes any time to make, and how elegant and fancy it looks.
It’s perfect to make and serve when you’ve got some guests, and really want to impress them with something unique and flavor-packed.
Ingredients For the Mango Tanghulu Recipe
Mango: Start with ripe mangoes. Choose ones that are firm and don’t have any soft spots.
Sugar: Granulated sugar will create a nice hard coating around the fruit.
Tajin seasoning: Tajin is a spicy and flavorful Mexican seasoning that’ll jazz up this candied fruit snack.
Pro Tip: You’ll also need a candy thermometer and good-quality wooden or bamboo skewers for this recipe.
Substitutions & Variations
- Don’t have Tajin? Use chili flakes or any other spicy seasoning mix of your choice.
- You can also just sprinkle some ginger powder if you want to bring a different flavor variation.
- To make this snack healthier, top it with some mixed seeds or crushed nuts of your choice.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Mango Tanghulu
Ready to try this easy Tanghulu recipe? Once you have all the ingredients ready, here’s what you’ll need to do to make Tanghulu from scratch.
Step 1: Peel and chop the mangoes into equal-sized cubes. Remove excess moisture from the surface with paper towels.
Step 2: Thread 3-5 mango cubes into each skewer. Set them aside.
Step 3: Meanwhile, in a pot or a saucepan over medium-high heat, combine 1 cup sugar with ½ cup water and bring to a boil. This should take 10-15 minutes.
Step 4: Traditionally, you’ll need to immediately dip the skewers into the sugar mixture, but you can also use a spoon to drizzle the mixture over the fruit, just like I did.
Step 5: Once coated, allow the skewers to rest for a couple of minutes before you serve and enjoy!
💭Top Tip
Remember not to stir the sugar syrup as it can cause the sugar to start crystallizing.
Tips & Tricks to Nail the Recipe
- Water can prevent the sugar mixture from sticking to the fruit, so make sure you remove any excess moisture from the fruit.
- Be quick when coating the mangoes. The sugar mixture can harden quickly so make sure all your skewers are ready.
- Use a silicone mat to place your skewers after you’re done coating them in the sugar syrup. That way, they won’t stick to the mat and will come off easily.
- If you don’t have a candy thermometer, a good way to check if the syrup is ready is to drop a teeny bit of the sugar mixture into cold water. If it hardens, the syrup is ready.
- The sugar syrup reaches the hard candy shell stage at around 300 degrees, so you’ll want to watch out for that.
How to Serve the Mango Snack
Serve this Chinese candied fruit on its own, or with other party snacks and appetizers.
I love serving these with my Turkish cheese rolls, masala peanuts, and some spicy Ranch crackers.
If you’re not topping the mango Tanghulu with Tajin, you can use the skewers to decorate cakes or even team up the fruit cubes with some ice cream.
Recipe FAQs
Sure! Use any fruit of your choice or make different fruit skewers. Blueberries, kiwi, grapes, pineapple, cherries, tangerine, hawthorn berries, and strawberries are all great choices. Regardless of the fruit you’re using, just make sure it is ripe, but not too soft.
I wouldn’t recommend storing the leftovers for more than a day, as they can start to attract moisture and turn soggy. If you must, transfer it to an airtight container and store it in a cool place.
I wouldn’t recommend storing this spicy candy fruit in the refrigerator as it can cause the fruits to start releasing water and eventually soften and dissolve the hard sugar coating.
Other Mango Recipes to Consider
If you tried this Mango Tangulu or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Mango Tanghulu
Ingredients
- 3-4 mangoes
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ cup water
- 1 teaspoon Tajin seasoning
Instructions
- Peel and chop the mangoes into equal-sized cubes. Remove excess moisture from the surface with paper towels.
- Thread 3-5 mango cubes into each skewer. Set them aside.
- Meanwhile, in a pot or a saucepan over medium-high heat, combine 1 cup sugar with ½ cup water and bring to a boil. This should take 10-15 minutes.
- Traditionally, you’ll need to immediately dip the skewers into the sugar mixture, but you can also use a spoon to drizzle the mixture over the fruit, just like I did.
- Once coated, allow the skewers to rest for a couple of minutes before you serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Use a silicone mat to place your skewers after you’re done coating them in the sugar syrup.
- Make sure you work fast while coating the mangoes. The sugar syrup can start to get hard quickly.
- Get rid of any excess moisture on the surface of the mangos. This will help the sugar syrup stick to the mangos nicely.
