Dalgona

Ingredients

• 1½ tbspSugarmelted and caramelized in the ladle
• 1 pinchbaking sodaabout 1/16 tsp; makes the sugar mixture foam up

Method

1. Get everything within reachGet everything within reach before you start: a ladle, chopsticks for stirring, a nonstick mat, a spatula, a press (or something flat, such as the bottom of a pan) and a cookie cutter. Things move fast later on.
2. Melt the sugar slowlyPut the sugar in the ladle and hold it over low to medium-low heat so it slowly starts to melt.
3. Stir constantly, watch the heatAs soon as the sugar turns liquid around the edges, stir it constantly with the chopsticks. If it starts to smoke or browns too quickly, lift the ladle off the heat for a moment or turn the heat down.
4. Cook to a light caramelKeep stirring until the sugar is completely melted with no lumps left and has turned a light caramel color.
5. Stir in the baking sodaTake the ladle off the heat, add the baking soda and stir hard until it has dissolved and the mixture foams up and turns a pale caramel color.
6. Pour out the mixturePour the mixture onto the nonstick mat and scrape the ladle clean with the spatula.
7. Let it set, then pressLet it set for just a brief moment, then flatten it with the press.
8. Press in the shapeRight away, press the cookie cutter into the warm disc to leave an imprint, without cutting all the way through, and lift the cookie cutter off immediately.
9. Cool and lift offLet the candy cool, then lift it off the mat with the spatula.

Tips and variations

You can swap the white sugar for brown sugar. If the mixture tends to scorch while you're stirring in the baking soda, let the melted sugar cool for a moment first, then hold the ladle back over the heat only very briefly as you stir, so it stays warm without burning. To make a lollipop, just stick a stick into the mixture before you press it. Once cooled, the candies keep for up to three days at room temperature in an airtight container, though in humid weather they turn sticky quickly.