If you’ve been on the internet in the past two weeks or so, you probably would have seen or heard of Dalgona coffee.
It looks like this.
It's a pretty, two-layered drink that everyone's making at home to show that they are indeed staying at home.
Some background on it
Although the trend started in South Korea, Dalgona coffee actually has origins in Macau, India and Pakistan. In those regions, though, it’s simply known as whipped coffee.
So why did the trend start in Korea? Well, it's all because of this one guy, Jung Il-Woo. After discovering the drink in Macau, Jung fell in love with it and subsequently gave it his own name -- Dalgona coffee.
He named it Dalgona because the brown foam resembled a popular Korean candy of the same name.
I actually made something similar to Dalgona coffee in early March, but because it wasn't named Dalgona, and wasn't introduced by a Korean celebrity, it didn't exactly become popular.
For this, I shall now call what I made in early March the Unpopular Cream Twin (UCT).
How to make Dalgona coffee
The differences between UCT and Dalgona are the proportions of the ingredients, and the temperature of the water. Instead of using cold water like UCT, Dalgona uses hot water.
The measurements for Dalgona are pretty straightforward -- equal parts instant coffee powder, sugar, and hot water.
Curious, I decided to follow the recipe for Dalgona to see if there would be a difference in results.
Photo by Olivia Lin
I used two tablespoons of each ingredient, and it made enough foam for about two cups of coffee.
As soon as I poured the hot water into the mixing bowl, the coffee crystals and sugar instantly dissolved, turning the mixture into a dark brown paste.
Photo by Olivia Lin
After a few minutes of whisking, the mixture transformed into a creamy, light brown-coloured foam.
Texture-wise, it felt a tiny bit more dense, and less foamy than UCT.
Photo by Olivia Lin
Like everyone else, I added the Dalgona mixture into a cup of milk.
Photo by Olivia Lin
Compared to UCT, the Dalgona foam was less sweet, and had a stronger coffee flavour.
Photo by Olivia Lin
When mixed with the milk, the drink became a delicious, creamy cup of coffee that tasted like something you would find in cafes.
Overall, Dalgona wins UCT hands down in terms of taste, so I guess the little tweaks in the recipe did make a difference.
And yes, Dalgona coffee deserves all the hype it is receiving, and you should definitely try it out. At home.
Stay at home.
Top photo collage by missvancityfoodie on Instagram and Olivia Lin