So this Dalgona Coffee is trending all over social media. It apparently originated from Korea from a popular old-school street sweet of caramelised sugar and baking soda (WHAT?!) . Dalgona Coffee however, is a basic combination of 2 teaspoons of instant coffee, 2 TABLESPOONS of sugar (super sweet!!) and 2 tablespoons hot water. Then you basically just whip them all up into a beautiful frothy meringue that you can boast on Instagram. Simple right? NOT!!

Perhaps, I thought, my use of sugar replacements, was the main reason why the concoction refused to rise. I used Lokanto Monkfruit Sweetener first then another Erythritol subsequently. I then tried good ol’ sugar just for the heck of it. Nothing but sad, thick condensed sludge each time. All of which I ingested.

Then it finally dawned on me. The people who make it look so easy on the internet, with their power beaters, power arms and power battery-operated whisks? They left out the fact that small variations in the recipe lead to epic fail consequences. Example, the water used should be boiling so that the coffee granules melt properly before whisking. For those who are okay with the diabetes-inducing levels of sugar, the 2 TABLESPOONS help to give the foam a stiffer texture. Also, fine grained sugar works better than coarse so the more refined, the better! Most importantly, after whisking with own arm, Daiso whisk and electric beater, if you have the last one, just settle for that. That is unless you are building arm strength (the recommended would be 400 times with a whisk), to be the next swimming champion, then please carry on. Even with an electric beater, it took me almost 10 to 11 minutes to get to the right meringue-like foam.

So after 4 tries, I am proud to report that I have finally (somewhat) achieved that insta-worthy post of a Dalgona Coffee. Now excuse me, while I indulge in foamy happiness while dreaming that I am sharing a moment with Hyun Bin in a Korean cafe.

p/s. I definitely preferred iced Dalgona Coffee as the foam held on to its form a bit longer and the melting ice made the sweetness more bearable, even though mine was a low carb version.

Stay home and keep safe!

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