In the very beginning….
Just when you thought you won’t get a history lesson, here it is. The origin of sugar is rather fun. It apparently originated rather close to the equator, in Papua New Guinea to be exact, a tall, ungainly, lanky thing that had a tough exterior, but, if you worked hard on them, like your last relationship that lasted, then it would expose a light yellow innards, that would be chewy and oh-so-sweet, and you wouldn’t be able to get rid of its strangely addictive taste that would beg you to take one more bite every time you swear you’ll give up, but you just want one last round…
Yes, that did sound like my ex. But enough about him. The transition wasn’t difficult, it seemed, for Papua New Guinea to give up this national treasure to probably the good traders of Suvarnadweep, who would probably be from somewhere in Sumatra, or in the Malay Peninsula, and they would probably deposit it to one of the ports of India or Burma, maybe to one of the major ancient ports like Tamralipta (modern-day Tamluk), and from there, sugarcane would be cultivated and tamed and eaten on a regular basis in India.
However, here would come a little innovation – the juice would be extracted from the sugarcane and then it would be cooked and processed to create, what can be safely called, crystallised sugar. In fact, by the time the Gupta dynasty ruled a good part of what is now called India, crystallised sugar would already be created, and in the subsequent generations, the emperors would learn its value with its rapid spread through the trade routes, all the way to Europe. Visiting Chinese monks, eager to pick up something new, would take it back to the East, and the interesting new thing, that could be stored for a long time without being spoilt, gave the body a sudden spike in blood sugar, and was also rather tasty, would become a point of interest to the Chinese Emperor, so much so that during Emperor Taizong’s rule (he was from the Tang dynasty), when envoys came from Harshavardhana’s court, he was rather curious if they could teach his court the art of cultivating sugar, and well, soon enough, China started to make their own sugarcane because someone did know something about growing sugarcane.
Of course, with sugar came the concept of candies. It was pretty obvious that sugar would bring with it a notion to experiment, and in the 1940s, presumably, one particular toffee became quite popular, because frankly, it used just about two or three ingredients, and the result would be something that would stick to your jaw and remind you of its presence even after years went by.
Fine! I might have a problem here, the way I am describing sugar. Sue me!
Now, the Honeycomb toffee got its name from its honeycomb-like structure. The candy itself is a sugar boiled candy, where the use of some form of liquid while caramelising the sugar is highly recommended. Lyle’s Golden Syrup would be a great way of adding a touch of mineral, a mild bitterness that would give the ultimate result some character, rather being too sweet. The bit of minerals would compliment the touch of saltiness from the baking soda.
The Honeycomb candy is rather easy to prepare – and it has different names. For example, dip it in some melted chocolate and its your crunchie bar. Break them in pieces, and you get Hokey Pokey. But, set them and stamp them while still hot is rather Korean, wouldn’t you think?
Cut to… The Dalgona!
Wait for it. Dalgona is nothing but Honeycomb toffee in Korea. The fluffy candy gained a lot of following in the 1970s and its still considered to be a bit of a classic. In many restaurants, they break down chunks of dalgona and put it over cold milk and ice and that’s it, you got Dalgona Latte. But we aren’t going to, are we? We shall make the toffee first, and then the coffee, and then we shall mix. Mix we shall, and mix we will!
Honeycomb Dalgona Coffee Tastes like a Cold Day’s Sunshine, I Swear
Hey, I promise many things. It doesn’t necessarily mean they are all going to be fulfilled. Lower your expectations, please! But, there’s a reason why Dalgona coffee has become so popular. In the initial days of the lockdown, we could not go out to a cafe to get a nice, cold treat. Given the fact that we had just started off with summer, this coffee was a great indoor activity with minimum and easily available ingredients, and was a great way to release some pent-up frustration and enjoy the fruits of the labour almost immediately.
Make the Honeycomb Toffee
Heat, by weight, 100 gm plain sugar with 1 tablespoon golden syrup in a pan with raised edges, enough to ensure that the risen sugar can be contained. I generally use a container that’s at least 3-4 inches in height for the amount of sugar I am using. The syrup is optional, and you can simply add a couple of tablespoons of water and start caramelization, but the syrup sort of adds a little something that definitely makes the honeycomb interesting. Stir occasionally to ensure the sugar doesn’t burn.
Once the sugar melts and starts boiling, prep a little station beside your pan with a bowl of water and a spoon. As the sugar starts to caramelize, let a drop fall in the water and see how it coagulates. If its soft, it isn’t done. When the droplet falls in the water and forms a hard ball (about 130 degree centigrade), that’s when you pull the pan off the heat, and add 1/3rd teaspoon (1.2 gram) sieved baking soda, or cooking soda, or soda bicarb (its the same damn thing!).
Stir briskly to see the sugar triple up in size and bubble up, and ensure you mix the bicarb in very well, otherwise you might be left with salty chunks of unappetizing crap that you don’t want to waste your time eating. The moment its raised, your next step needs to be very careful. This is also the reason you SIEVE the baking soda before adding it, so that any larger chunks of the soda is left OUT.
Pour in a parchment paper-lined pan, being very careful because this thing is still liquid sugar, and therefore, can burn you very easily. Let it cool down in a cool, dry place, until absolutely cold. Then, remove the parchment paper and break this up into pieces.
Making the Dalgona Coffee Concoction
You start by beating 2 tbsp each of coffee and sugar for about 10 seconds. Then, add 1 1/2 tbsp hot water and beat the crap out of it till its really frothy and fluffy. If you’re doing this by hand, it will take you about 10 minutes of nonstop beating. Use all the anger you have inside of you, and take it out on the coffee. Your ultimate goal is light brown foamy coffee peaks. When you see that, take a break.
Making the Honeycomb Dalgona Coffee
Bring out a glass, pour a good bit of milk in it (about 200 ml., I would reckon). Add some ice, if you want. Then, carefully pour in the beaten coffee froth right on top of the milk.
Thank yourself that you have only one more step to go, which is to crush some of that Honeycomb you made with the back of a knife or something heavy. Put a generous bit of the honeycomb on top of the coffee, and your Honeycomb Dalgona coffee is ready.
How to make a Honeycomb Latte
Now, this is a secondary use of the Honeycomb. Simply crush them up, and put them on top of the iced milk. Stir well to get some of that sugar combined, then attack with a straw and a spoon, because you see, bits of the dalgona would remain undissolved, and you can have fun chewing on them for hours in the end.
One Response
Aptly described.