Strawberry Candied Hawthorn 🍓

Wash the strawberries, remove the leaves, let them dry, and skewer them with bamboo sticks or toothpicks.

Use a stainless steel pot (do not use an iron pot!) and put in rock sugar (I used yellow rock sugar) and water at a 2:1 ratio. Don't worry too much about the exact amounts of water and sugar; eventually, the water will evaporate.

Simmer on low heat until the rock sugar is fully melted and starts bubbling. It must stay on low heat. If the syrup cooks too briefly, the candied hawthorn will stick to your teeth; if it cooks too long, the sugar will burn in the pot. The optimal time frame is very short. When the syrup thickens, dip chopsticks into it and place the syrup into cool water for five seconds. Taste it—if it sticks to teeth, cook longer. When it's no longer sticky, quickly coat the strawberries with the syrup (be quick! Otherwise, the strawberries will cook). Leave them to cool for about ten minutes.

Lightly grease the plate to prevent sticking.

After setting, enjoy your treat!