Dragon's Beard Candy (龙须糖)
Hand-pulled sugar threads as fine as hair, wrapped around nuts or sesame. Artisan, high-end versions are a visual spectacle and melt-in-your-mouth treat, historically linked to imperial courts.
8 ingredients
8 steps
Ingredients
- 1400g white granulated sugar
- 2100ml water
- 31 tsp white vinegar or glucose syrup (to prevent crystallisation)
- 4100g cornstarch (for dusting during pulling)
- 580g roasted peanuts, finely crushed
- 640g toasted sesame seeds (black or white)
- 720g desiccated coconut
- 82 tbsp caster sugar (for filling mixture)
Instructions
- 1Combine the peanuts, sesame seeds, desiccated coconut, and 2 tbsp caster sugar to make the filling. Set aside.
- 2Cook sugar and water in a heavy pan over medium heat. Add the vinegar or glucose syrup.
- 3Without stirring, bring to 155°C (hard crack stage), then remove from heat and cool to about 60°C until a firm but pliable mass forms.
- 4Shape the cooled sugar into a ring (donut shape). Dust your hands and a clean surface generously with cornstarch.
- 5Begin pulling the ring — fold in half and pull outward, doubling the strands each time. Repeat the folding and pulling process 12–14 times until 10,000+ ultra-fine strands are formed.
- 6Dust with cornstarch between each pull to prevent strands from sticking.
- 7Portion out a small bundle of threads. Place a teaspoon of the nut-sesame filling in the centre and wrap the threads around to enclose it.
- 8Serve immediately — Dragon's Beard Candy must be enjoyed fresh as the threads dissolve quickly.