Add 100 ml of water and 200 grams of white sugar to a small pot. Take care to pour the sugar into the middle of the pot and avoid getting any on the pot sides. Turn on the stove to medium to high, but do not allow the flame to touch the sides of the pot.

At the beginning, the solution is cloudy, but don’t be tempted to stir it – stand on the sidelines, do not do anything. As the bubbles begin to roll, the remaining sugar will gradually dissolve, and the solution will become clear. Note that the entire process requires a moderate to high flame and violent tumbling bubbles can hinder the formation of crystalline particles, just as flowing water is less susceptible to freezing than still water.

Wait until the syrup is clear and shows a hint of yellow, or test with chopsticks as outlined above. If the syrup is ready, immediately remove the pot from the stove. Even once it’s removed from the stove, the syrup will continue to deepen in color to amber. If you do not like the deeper color, you can prepare a large basin of cold water in advance, and immediately dip the pot into the cold water to cool it down and stop the cooking process.

The risk attached to doing this is that it may trigger crystallization, so you need to weigh it up: whether it’s a slightly darker color syrup, or in the quest for perfection and a lighter color, risk crystallization after it has cooked. Many store syrups are amber, and the Emperor’s concubine’s candied hawthorn was also amber.

Tilt the sugar pot to make a deeper place to dip the fruit into. Quickly dip and turn the fruit in the syrup to coat evenly – you need to work quickly or the syrup will heat the fruit. If you find the syrup is thickening and harder to work with, put the pot back on the stove briefly to restore the syrup’s liquidity.

Traditionally, Bing Tanghulu is cooled on a water-soaked wooden board, but this will form a flat surface at the bottom. If you don’t like that look, you can cool the Bing Tanghulu on a rack so the fruit is raised from the surface, as shown below, though you may get “drips” instead of a flattened surface.

Wait until the Bing Tanghulu cools down and you can put them up in a suitable place for everyone to share.