How to Make Squid Game’s Dalgona Candy
Lee Jung-jae as Gi-hun in the TV show, ‘Squid Games’.
Netflix’s Squid Game is mega-popular. My entire Instagram Explore page is entirely about Squid Game, and I have come to love the Hunger Games-esque Korean drama-thriller. The characters undergo a series of high-stakes challenges which resemble childhood games such as redlight-greenlight or tug-of-war. One of the most recurring videos on Instagram is about Dalgona candy, a type of Korean toffee. In the third episode, titled, “The Man with the Umbrella,” participants are given the task of cutting their assigned shape out of a piece of Dalgona candy using only a sewing needle. Failure to complete the challenge in 10 minutes or by cracking the candy results in death.
Dalgona candy is a Korean street candy that comes in a variety of shapes and sizes. It is a honeycomb toffee made of sugar, corn syrup, and baking soda. The baking soda lightens the color of the candy and gives the candy its airy and sponge-like texture. I made this version of Dalgona candy with my brothers, and we enjoyed trying to carve the star imprint out of the candy, a surprisingly difficult task. As I tried to scratch away at the imprint, I immediately cracked the candy and “died.” Have lots of fun making Dalgona candy and good luck attempting the Squid Game challenge.
Squid Game’s Dalgona Candy
Serving size: 1
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
A pinch of baking soda
Instructions:
- In a pan melt and caramelize the sugar, stirring the sugar constantly.
- Once the sugar is melted, take the pan off the heat and add a pinch of baking soda. As the baking soda is incorporated, the mixture will become lighter in color and puff up.
- Pour the mixture onto a piece of parchment sprinkled with sugar and flatten out with another greased parchment piece.
- Just before the mixture is about to set/completely cool, use a cookie cutter and lightly press your shape of choice into the candy
- Try removing the designed piece with a needle, your hand, teeth, or anything else. Good luck!
Cecilia Ashenuga ‘24 Food and Wellness Editor
