By Korea.net Honorary Reporter Cintia Mancilla from Argentina
Photos = Cintia Mancilla

The first time I heard about ppopgi, also known as dalgona was in an old episode of the variety show “2 days 1 night” (1박 2일). They were struggling so hard to make one decent ppopgi and finally they managed to pull it off.

I was wondering if it would be easy or difficult to make at home. I´ve looked for more information about this candy and the history behind it, which is quite interesting. It was a very popular street snack in the 60s and 70s. The ppopgi vendor waited for the children to buy them after school and they played a fun game with this candy (I will talk more about that after the recipe).

It´s still eaten as a retro food. I think we all want to go back to our childhood at least for few minutes and remember the good old times.

I followed the recipe steps of a famous Korean-American food blogger Maangchi, and it´s nearly impossible to mess up with this, once you get the hang of it. Have fun!

Ingredients:
- 1½ tablespoon (20 grams) plus 1 teaspoon (4 grams) of white or brown sugar
- A pinch of baking soda
- Other utensils (skewer, stainless ladle, cookie pan, lid, wooden spoon and cookie cutters



1. Place the sugar in a stainless ladle and heat it over the stove, using medium heat. Try to calculate how much heat you will need without burning the sugar, placing the ladle closer or farther from heat. Make a light caramel stirring well to prevent lumps.

2. When you feel the texture is smooth and you are satisfied with its color (caramel flavor intensity of ppopgi will depend on that), the tricky but enjoyable part begins! Add the pinch of baking soda and mix it quickly. It will make everything change to a creamy brown tone.



3. Have a cookie pan or any similar utensil ready to put the mix on, any flat stainless or enameled surface should be more than enough to prevent the caramel from sticking. Sprinkle sugar on the surface and pour all the caramel on top of it. Put a skewer or lollipop stick in the lower center of the candy and press hard with a flat object, that’s essential if you don’t want any bump.

4. Promptly, take a cookie cutter to press hard on the center and stamp the figure you like. And that´s all! I think they could be wonderful for birthday parties.

You can play an old-fashioned game and give away a second one to the lucky winners who can cut or eat around the candy figure in the center without cracking it. My nephews really enjoyed playing and eating them. You can make a child so happy without spending tons of money! That´s magical!



wisdom117@korea.kr

* This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.