Name: Korean Sugar Candy
Prep time: 2 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 7 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Korean
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons Sugar; 1 pinch Baking soda; 1 Chopstick or skewer (for stirring)

Dalgona existed for decades in Korean streets before anyone in the world outside Korea knew its name. I grew up buying it from a cart near my elementary school — a grandmother with a small gas burner and a metal ladle, making these caramel discs and pressing shapes into them with her collection of metal stamps. The price was higher if you successfully cut out the shape without cracking it, which was impossible if you were impatient.

Then Squid Game came out and my international friends started texting me photos of the candy asking if it was real and if it was hard. Yes, both. The show captured the real ritual perfectly — the delicate tapping with a hairpin, the concentration, the fear of cracking the wrong part.

The chemistry is simple but the execution has a very small window. Baking soda releases carbon dioxide into the hot caramel, creating thousands of tiny bubbles that make the candy light and slightly honeycomb-textured. Too much baking soda and it tastes bitter. Too little and it doesn't puff. Literally a few grains. The hard part is working quickly once it's poured — you have about 10 seconds to press it flat and stamp a shape before it sets completely. My advice: do a dry run with parchment paper and a smooth-bottomed cup before you add the shape-cutting drama.

Instructions

Place sugar in a small ladle or very small pot over medium-low heat. Stir gently with a chopstick as the sugar melts completely (about 2 minutes).

Tip: Keep the heat low — sugar burns very quickly and turns bitter. As soon as it is fully melted and amber-colored, move to the next step.

Remove from heat. Add a tiny pinch of baking soda (literally a few grains). Stir quickly — the mixture will puff up and turn light tan.

Pour onto parchment paper. Quickly press flat with a flat-bottomed cup or press. If desired, press a cookie cutter shape into the center while still warm.

Tip: You have about 10 seconds before it hardens. Work fast! This is the famous candy from Squid Game.

Korean Sugar Candy

Dalgona

Prep: 2 minCook: 5 minTotal: 7 minServings: 2

Ingredients

2 tablespoons Sugar
1 pinch Baking soda
1 Chopstick or skewer (for stirring)

Instructions

Place sugar in a small ladle or very small pot over medium-low heat. Stir gently with a chopstick as the sugar melts completely (about 2 minutes).
Remove from heat. Add a tiny pinch of baking soda (literally a few grains). Stir quickly — the mixture will puff up and turn light tan.
Pour onto parchment paper. Quickly press flat with a flat-bottomed cup or press. If desired, press a cookie cutter shape into the center while still warm.