AI-generated image
Fan sha yu tou (sugar-frosted taro)
反沙芋头: fried taro sticks tossed in hot syrup until coated in white sugar frost
Fan sha yu tou is a Chaoshan sweet from eastern Guangdong, made for Mid-Autumn, when taro is in season and set out with the moon offerings; the round harvest corms stand for a full year and a family gathered together. Taro sticks are fried until fluffy, then tossed in syrup that 'turns to sand', crystallising into a crisp white crust. Each piece is crunchy and sugary outside and soft and starchy inside. Serve warm or at room temperature with strong Chaozhou gongfu tea, which cuts the sweetness. Chef's tip: wear gloves when peeling raw taro; its juice makes skin itch.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the taro
- 1 ⅓ lb taropeeled, cut into 1.5 cm thick sticks
- 3 ¼ cups oil for deep-frying
For the sugar frost
- 5 ½ oz sugar
- 3 ½ tbsp water
Shop this recipe on Amazon
What you'll need
Spices & pantry
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Rinse 1 ⅓ lb taro sticks in cold water and pat them very dry with a clean towel.
5 minStep 2: Heat 3 ¼ cups oil for deep-frying in a wok to 350°F, when a taro stick sizzles steadily as soon as it goes in.
5 minStep 3: Fry the taro in two batches for 6–8 minutes, until the edges are pale gold and a chopstick slides easily into the middle. Drain on kitchen paper and pour the oil out of the wok, wiping it clean.
15 minStep 4: Put 5 ½ oz sugar and 3 ½ tbsp water in the clean wok over a medium heat and do not stir. Let it bubble for 3–4 minutes, until the bubbles turn small, thick and foamy and a drop pulled between two spoons forms a thread (about 250°F). Common mistake: cooking it further until it colours; golden syrup turns to caramel and will never frost white.
4 minStep 5: Take the wok off the heat, tip in the fried taro and toss and stir constantly with a spatula for 1–2 minutes, until the syrup turns cloudy and dries into a white, sandy crust on every stick.
2 minStep 6: Spread out on a plate to cool for a few minutes, until the crust is crisp, and eat the same day.
3 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 390 kcal
- Protein
- 2 g
- Carbs
- 70 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fibre
- 5 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does fan sha yu tou (sugar-frosted taro) take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Kartoshka cakeCocoa and cake crumb truffles
Soviet cafés and school canteens sold these knobbly brown 'potatoes' for a few kopecks, and they began as a thrifty way to use up sponge and biscuit trimmings at the bakery. Crumbs are bound with butter and sweetened condensed milk, flavoured with cocoa and vanilla, shaped into little potatoes, rolled in cocoa and finished with two dabs of pale butter cream for the sprouts. They are fudgy and dense like a brownie truffle, need no oven, and children love making them. Traditional bakers added a spoonful of rum, an optional extra for adult batches only; this version is alcohol-free with vanilla. The usual slip is coarse crumbs, which make the potatoes crack, so blitz them as fine as sand. Chef's tip: chill the shaped potatoes for at least 20 minutes so they hold their shape and slice cleanly.
Russian
Undu walaluFried urad dal rings in treacle
Walalu means bangles, and these dark, sticky rings of fried urad dal soaked in kithul treacle are a sweet that Sinhala families bring out for Avurudu and for special almsgivings, often made in large batches by an aunt known for her steady hand. A thick, fluffy paste of ground black gram is piped into loops and fried until crisp, then plunged straight into warm treacle, so the rings stay crunchy on the outside while drinking up the syrup. They taste a little like a darker, smokier jalebi, with a toffee finish from the palm treacle. Watery batter is what ruins them; it spreads into flat blobs, so grind the soaked dal with as little water as possible and beat it until light. This recipe uses no asafoetida, so it is naturally gluten free. Chef's tip: pipe the rings onto small squares of baking paper and lower them into the oil paper and all; the paper peels away in seconds.
Sri Lankan
Apple & pear puree
A smooth, naturally sweet puree of gently stewed apple and pear, one of the first foods for babies of 4–8 months. The fruit cooks in a little unsweetened apple juice, so nothing else is needed. Serve it lukewarm; any leftover keeps covered in the fridge for a day, or freezes well in small pots.