How to make Dalgona coffee - and a kid-friendly version of the drink

With social distancing measures put in place due to the Covid-19 pandemic, staying home has become the new norm for many.

But while Covid-19 has caused us to be confined to our homes, getting creative allows us to not get "sick" of staying in.

Spicing things up in your daily routine is part of that equation: Including how we drink our daily cup. The rise of the Dalgona coffee trend that has swept across the internet is one such example.

Read on to find our more about it, and how you can whip up one, as well as another kid-friendly version home.

Origin of Dalgona coffee

When South Korea was hit with its first case of Covid-19 in early Feb 2020, it led to inevitable self-quarantine by its people.

The South Koreans' love for coffee saw them engaging in creative ways to obtain their coffee fix, which they otherwise would not be able to get in cafe joints.

Featuring a coffee-flavoured mousse confection which is typically served over iced milk, the DIY South Korean coffee trend gained immense popularity on TikTok, a video-sharing social networking service.

But here's a fun fact: This whipped coffee is not exclusive to South Korea. It is also well-loved in many Asian cultures such as in India, Pakistan and Macau.

But the most amazing part of Dalgona coffee is that it is easy and fun to create, requiring only three simple ingredients. They are common ingredients that you can find in your kitchen pantry: Instant coffee, sugar and hot water.

Three-ingredient Dalgona coffee: How to make the ultra frothy drink you never knew you needed

Especially for busy parents, how nice would it be to have a nice chilled cafe-inspired drink which you can make at home or even better - with your kids?

It saves you time - and sanity - while giving you the added caffeinated boost. Do not belittle the impact of this lightweight mix, because it is definitely high in caffeine.

It also makes for another activity idea at home amid the coronavirus pandemic to bond and be creative with the kiddos.

Read on till the end, because we will also be sharing how you can make other Dalgona coffee inspired drinks that your kids will love, from chocolate, milo and matcha!

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons instant coffee - while brand does not matter, you have to use instant coffee in order for it to work
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons hot water
• Iced milk (optional) - if you're just trying it out to get the frothy mixture

Other items to prepare:

• Mixing bowl or cup
• Spoon, whisk or hand mixer (quickens process during mixing)

Once you have prepped the necessary items, pour the required amount of instant coffee, sugar and hot water into the mixing bowl.

TIP: Use hot water and slightly crush the instant coffee into slightly smaller chunks to make the mixing shorter and easier. Also, it helps to pour less water at first.

Next, use a whisk or hand mixer and stir the mixture together. Otherwise, you can try it with a spoon.

If you're doing the whisking manually, it can take a while to achieve that meringue-like consistency. Be patient in this step as it is said to take 400 whisks, or even more. But it'll be well worth it.

Tip: Try twisting or tilting the bowl so that there is more surface area to incorporate the air into, in achieving the fluffiness of the mix.

Continue whisking until peaks are formed.

Here, the mixture is starting to become dense and sticks to the hand mixer.

Once you have achieved that smooth and perfect meringue-like mix you are satisfied with, prepare a cup of iced milk and use a spoon to lather the frothy mix on top of it.

Mix it into the chilled milk and you're good to go! You can also use it as a frosting to other desserts.

DIY Dalgona chocolate drink (with secret ingredient)

If you're not a fan of coffee, or just can't seem to get the frothy outcome of Dalgona coffee, don't fret!

We have a little trick to help you achieve your own Dalgona inspired drink without coffee. You can substitute it with any kind of drinks you or your child likes.

The ingredients and the process of creating the drink, however, remain the same.

The secret ingredient is…

Simply add whip cream into your mixture of instant milo, chocolate sauce or even matcha powder, the list goes on. Mix well until you achieve that perfect consistency - and it'll look just the same as the original Dalgona coffee!

That said, there is a possibility of not using whipped cream to achieve the light and fluffy texture, but that will require some adjustments in the amounts of each ingredient.

However, this little tip of using whipped cream helps create less stress of achieving the desired outcome if you're seeking some fun at home with your kids.

During this trying time, it is also a reminder of how we can still connect and share experiences with each other remotely. And we hope this inspires you to try creating your own Dalgona coffee, or other ideas you may have, with your kids.

Continue to harness that creativity and explore more ways to keep active - even if it means flexing those arms to get the right consistency of the mixture.

Meanwhile… here are some amazing creations by netizens!

[embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/B-VUXAVBxeb/[/embed]

[embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/B-Y38BtHSXV/?utm_source=ig_embed[/embed]

[embed]https://youtu.be/oENpvyppGEw[/embed]

This article was first published in theAsianparent.