My heart danced with happiness the moment I laid eyes on Netflix’s Squid Game. Somehow, I knew this show would be a big thing in the coming weeks. Squid Game’s fame blew off the roof and broke several records. To this date, it remains the most-watched show on Netflix. And rightly so! It deserves all the attention in the world.
For those who don’t know, Squid Game is a Korean thriller show released in September 2021. The storyline follows a middle-aged man caught up in a series of games that are guaranteed to get the winner a hefty reward. The twist comes soon enough when the players realize that the games are not child’s play.
For most people, Squid Game proved to be their debut foreign-language show. Although the show could be disturbing and terrifying due to its dark theme, it became an instant hit. I know that because my husband watched it with me even though he hates watching anything violent or gory. One of the most popular aspects of this series was the games that were featured. The honeycomb game rose to fame in no time, and soon, we witnessed everyone playing their version.
The Honeycomb Game
The game starts with the players choosing a shape from five shapes: star, umbrella, square, triangle, and circle. They were then handed a tin container that had a honeycomb candy with the indented shape that they had chosen earlier and a common needle. Their task was to scrape out the shape without breaking it.
The honeycomb candy given to the players is a common snack in Korea. It’s called Dalgona candy, and the game is called Dalgona game or ppogi. This game was immensely popular during the ’70s and ’80s, but it has now gotten a new life worldwide, thanks to the show Squid Game.
Dalgona Candy Recipe
Dalgona candy Recipe is surprisingly simple. If you’ve watched the show, you must know that scene where the circle workers were mixing something in huge pots. Since we don’t have to make it in such large batches, you’ll only need the two basic ingredients and some necessary equipment to make the perfect Dalgona candy.
Ingredients:
- 2 tbsps. white sugar
- A pinch of baking soda
Equipment:
- A ladle
- Wooden sticks
- Silicon mat
- Cookie cutters
Method:
- I suggest that you use a ladle instead of a pan. Take sugar in a ladle and put it directly on the heat.
- Use chopsticks or any other wooden sticks to stir the sugar until it starts melting. It will take about 2 minutes.
- Once all the sugar has melted, remove the ladle from the heat and add a pinch of baking soda. Be careful here, though. You cannot use baking powder as a substitute for baking soda.
- The sugar mixture will start getting a deep golden color, and you will notice bubbles forming right after mixing baking soda.
- When the mixture is nice and golden, pour it on a silicon mat and use a press to make it thin and flat.
- Make sure the disc is not too thin, or the shape won’t hold for long.
- Use a cookie cutter to embed a shape in the Dalgona candy. Do not press the cutter too hard.
- Let the candy cool on the mat. Your very own Squid Game Dalgona candy recipe is ready!
Extra Tips:
- Avoid melting sugar on a high flame. The sugar will just burn into a dark, awful color.
- If you are making candies for the whole family, just wash the ladle with warm water after each candy mixture. This way, there won’t be any residue left on the ladle. The residue, however, can make the next candy taste bitter.
- To stop the cookie cutter from sticking to the candy, spray some oil on the cutter. The candy mixture won’t stick, and the shape will come out perfectly.
- Pressing the cutter too hard will cut out the shape. Press it too lightly, and it will be too hard for the kids to scrape it out. Apply just the right amount of pressure so that your kids can play without getting frustrated.
If you are obsessed with Squid Game (like me!), you can make this Dalgona candy recipe in batches and play Ppogi with kids on a weekend night. It also makes a great game for an after-dinner game with friends. Not much into carving out sugar shapes? Just eat the candy as it is or with a glass of milk. It’s delicious anyway. Or you can enjoy it with dalgona coffee as a crunchy condiment. I have tried this just a week ago, and trust me, it tastes heavenly.
