Chinese candy

[Ninjai Fanatic]

white rabbit candies and the red sweet/sour little crumply candies

[Dejah]

Can't remember if this was the thread where durian was mentioned...BUT! Kind wesza, aka Irwin sent me a care package containing several durian moon cakes and candy bars! The icon is for Irwin...not sure about the treats as yet. I did have some of the moon cake and they were fresh, sweet, yummy and not at all like the offensive smell of fresh durian. I am saving some and the candy bars to share with family and friends visiting this weekend.

This, of course, is all in preparation for my second try at eating the "frightfully freaky fruit"!

[Makan King]

Ah, this thread is very nostalgic!

I am very fond of the crushed peanut and sugar candy that Pan mentioned and which Kew referred to as kacang tumbok (the name makes sense, actually!). It's still sold in Singapore in the rectangular tetrahedron shapes wrapped in paper. They crumble easily and I will just pour the crumbs straight down the throat. Yummy! Also very heaty.

I also remember the tubes of round 'lemon tablets' wrapped in yellow foil. They were also akin to sucking salt tablets!

Singaporeans used to refer to the preserved snacks as 'kiam sng ti' or salty-sour snacks. Remember the hard sour preserved plums (sng buay)??

[jacko]

What is Haw? English? Mandarin pron?

[Tepee]

Haw flakes/chips is shan1 cha2 pian4 in mandarin pinyin. Sorry, my dinosaur of a computer can't download a chinese programme.

[Shalmanese]

Haw is the processed pulp of a certain type of chinese fruit that, as far as I can ascertain, are unavailible outside of china. The fruit are about the size of a lychee or large grape, spherical and red in colour. Inside, there are some seeds but it's pretty much entirely edible.

Once processed, haw can be made into thin haw flakes or a sort of chewy gummy like substance.

[Pan]

So haw is not in fact hawthorne fruit as it is known in other countries? jackal10 in England has hawthorne trees in his back yard, I recall, and I believe they produce small apple-like fruits.

[Laksa]

I believe the fruit, pickled in a jar, can be found in NY. I had it in a Japanese restaurant, where it made an appearance as the garnish on a dish we were served. The chef called it Japanese mountain berry. It was red and covered with soft spikes, and it had a pip. It tasted unmistakably of haw flakes.

The jar it came in only had Japanese writing -- I saw all this because we sat at the sushi bar -- so I couldn't tell you what to ask for in a store.

I am willing to believe Chinatown stores might have them.

[spaghetttti]

A co-worker just dumped this pile on my desk so I could shoot it and post it here. He's so nosy about eG and my activities here, however, he's cute, so I'll indulge just this once.

Ginger candy - not doubled wrapped, and not especially hot, but it's good and chewy-- a real perker-upper!

[Tepee]

There's a picture of some haw fruit on the packaging of the haw candies I just opened. Oh my goodness! I just noticed that the brand name is "Haw House"!!!!!!!!!!!

[jackal10]

Hawthorn (Crataegus Oxyacantha) is a common hedgerow tree here in the UK, but the berries are small - about the size and colour of redcurrants but hard. Sour, but some people make a jelly out of them. Personally I don't bother. Pretty white flowers in May (May blossom). Small prickly tree.

[Mooshmouse]

I used to guzzle down mini-jelly cups and then always came down with a splitting headache later. I don't know what was in those things but it wasn't good for you :P.

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Those were a favourite in our house. They'd come in a big jar. The ones with lycee and mango were the best. They don't come in mini-size now for the reason Shalmanese stated. They come in a cup about 3" x 1/2 inch size. Kids can't pop them now. I have a tiny coffee spoon for my grandson to use.

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In a moment of weakness, I picked these up today.

Am vigorously exercising self-restraint by eating only one before dear husband gets home as he absolutely loves fruit jellies, and my son is diligently doing the same. Didn't taste Noah's banana jelly, but my mango jelly was lovely. Not too sweet with diced chunks of mango throughout. Betcha they'll taste even better once they've cooled in the fridge for a while!

[JasonTrue]

I'm not sure it's the same fruit... I had fresh "haw fruit" (or so I thought it was called) in China and it had a shape and size similar to a lychee, with a very red color and a distinctly sour taste. I ate a lot of them at the hotel buffet where I usually stayed.

Hawthorn  (Crataegus Oxyacantha) is a common hedgerow tree here in the UK, but the berries are small - about the size and colour of redcurrants but hard. Sour, but some people make a jelly out of them. Personally I don't bother. Pretty white flowers in May (May blossom). Small prickly tree.

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Edited April 29, 2005 by JasonTrue (log)

[GaijinGirl]

Was hoping someone could help me out with this one - just picked up a candied apple type treat in Chinatown, and would like to put a name to it. It's about 5 little fruits, skewered on a stick and covered in a hard coated candy. The lady couldn't tell me the English name for it, but I'd love to know.

Thanks in advance for any info,

--Janet

[Transparent]

Astrid from Wrapped in Dough posted about a few months back. Is this what you're looking for?

http://www.wrappedindough.com/archives/200..._tang_hu_lo.php

[torakris]

yum! those look even bettter than the Japanese ones!!

In Japan you only get one per stick

[Shalmanese]

They might be Haw fruit. Were they round and red about the size of a lychee and taste sorta like apples?

[GaijinGirl]

I think that's it! It looked just like bing tang hu lou, each fruit was about half the size of a golf ball, and had seeds. Were those apples or haw fruit???

[Susan G]

I thought they were candied crabapples?

[SobaAddict70]

Wonder if they got their start like these?

[ellencho]

Argh, I can't remember the name of the movie, but I think it might be Farewell My Concubine, and that little boy chokes to death from greedily eating his Bing Tang Hu Lou too fast.

[Soup]

Argh, I can't remember the name of the movie, but I think it might be Farewell My Concubine, and that little boy chokes to death from greedily eating his Bing Tang Hu Lou too fast.

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It was farewell my concubine but I thought he eats the candied fruit and then hangs himself.

Soup

[ellencho]

The more I think about it you're right Soup. But good lord I was worried about that little guy choking!

[jo-mel]

The first time I had one of these, (China '84) I thought they were crabapples, too. They tasted like them, but that could have been my mind thinking they were apples. I bit into it to see what the inside looked like and it seemed to be less than perfect. Not with worm holes, or bruise marks, but not quite 4*. But I ate them anyway --- and have since. I now know they are Haw Fruit.

[chocomoo]

And I forgot to mention that Haw Flakes now also comes in the form of Haw Jelly - alternating layers of Haw Flakes and Haw Jelly. Also in bigger discs.

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I love that haw jelly candy!! I always choose that as my "treat" when I buy Chinese medicine... They also make haw balls now too - slightly crunchy like haw flakes on the outside, soft on the inside. Has anybody else noticed that haw flakes smell kinda yucky?

I love white rabbit candy! If you like a stronger milk flavour though, try Peko milk candies

I love those lychee jelly cups - are they Chinese though? I've recently discovered aloe & pudding flavoured ones. The pudding ones come in mango, orange, & strawberry flavours - and taste even better frozen! Kinda like mini pudding popsicles. They taste surprisingly good too! The aloe ones have aloe pieces in them - also pretty yummy (bonus points for aloe bits! ) but I prefer pudding.