By Yoon Hee Young, Elias Molina and Anais Faure
Video = Kim Sunjoo and Lee Jun Young

"The second game is 'sugar honeycomb.' The shape you chose is the shape you must remove from the honeycomb."

This line is from a scene in the Netflix smash series "Squid Game."

Dalgona is introduced as "sugar honeycomb" in the drama, and the object of the game is to cut a shape such as a triangle or a star from the treat made of melted sugar without breaking it.

The game sounds easy but half of the contestants in the series are eliminated.

Two foreign staff writers of Korea.net tried the "dalgona challenge."

Removing the shape from a dalgona without breaking it is a delicate task.

The ingredients for making dalgona are just sugar and baking soda.

First, put one or two tablespoons of sugar in a ladle and melt it over low heat. After the sugar melts completely, add a pinch of baking soda with a wooden stick and mix it well with the sugar. Baking soda makes the sugar turn golden brown like caramel but with a thicker texture. Pour the sugar on a tray before burning it and press it down. Apply a patterned mold as the finishing touch.

The object of the game from the drama is to perfectly cut the shape from a dalgona, but the real challenge is to make the treat. Sugar burns down quickly and dalgona can easily stick to the tray or mold. Extra sugar or oil should be applied to tools to prevent the treat from sticking.

Trying dalgona for the first time, staff writer Elias Molina from Costa Rica said, "Making it was harder than I thought, but it's nice that the ingredients are low cost and easy to get. Above all, it's fun to make."

To remove the design from a dalgona is a delicate task. Scratch the shape along the outline with a needle and detach the sugar carefully. Because a dalgona can easily break if too much power is applied, the high number of contestants eliminated in the game as shown in the drama is understandable. So stay patient when scratching the candy.

The drama features tricks to win the challenge like heating up a metal stick with a lighter to melt the sugar or licking the back of the dalgona, tricks people can use in the challenge.

Staff writer Anais Faure from Guatemala, who had tried dalgona from street vendors, said, "Making it was hard at first but I got the hang of it," adding, "Cutting the shape from the candy was easier than I thought."

"I want to make dalgona again with my family, who are now abroad." 

After the challenge went viral, tool kits for making dalgona flew off the shelves on overseas shopping sites such as eBay and Amazon. Getting the kit in Korea is also tough due to the candy's soaring popularity. 

The good news is that the ingredients are easy to find and kitchen utensils such as a spatula, cookie cutter and tray are all one needs. Any ladle at home can be used but be careful not to burn it while making dalgona.

hyyoon@korea.kr