The latest viral trend in the world is Dalgona Coffee (whipped coffee from Korea) – if you haven’t seen it, I envy you. It probably means you have something keeping you busy during these very long quarantine/social distancing days. In a fit of madness, I decided that because I couldn’t get my beloved bubble tea, I would hand make my own pearls (boba) and simmer them in brown sugar to create the greatest mashup of all time – Brown Sugar Pearls with Dalgona Coffee.
Is it worth the effort? If you’re stuck in quarantine – probably. Would I do it again? Never. I am by no means a professional (clearly), so my end product leaves a lot to be desired in terms of aesthetic. My pearls are all unique, like snowflakes. Not a single one is alike.
The ingredients and method are relatively simple, but the process is long and tedious (each pearl is rolled by hand!) So if you need something to pass the time, pull up your sleeves and get rolling!
Brown Sugar Pearls with Dalgona Coffee Recipe
Ingredients
For pearls:
50g (1/2 cup) dark brown sugar
70ml (1/3 cup) water
100g (1 cup) tapioca starch
For syrup:
100g (1 cup) dark brown sugar
350ml (1 3/4 cup) water
Directions:
1. Add brown sugar and water to a nonstick saucepan and mix. Dissolve all the sugar on low heat until bubbles start to form. 2. 2. Once the syrup has reduced slightly add a heaped tablespoon of tapioca starch to the pan and stir until the texture is thick (less than one minute).
3. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the rest of the tapioca starch. Continue to stir until a dough forms.
4. Once the dough is formed remove it from the pan and place on a flat surface to knead. Knead for 8-10 minutes until the texture is smooth and springy.
5. Roll the dough out until its approximately 0.5 cm. Cut into strips and the divide into pieces.
6. Roll each piece into a ball and dust with tapioca starch to prevent sticking.
7. Once you have rolled all the pearls, place in a flour sifter to remove excess starch and boil for 15 minutes.
8. Strain and place in a bowl of cold water.
9. In a separate sauce pan boil syrup ingredients until slightly thick on medium low heat.
10. Strain pearls from ice water and place in syrup. Boil on low for 10-15 minutes until the syrup has reached a thick consistency.
11. Serve with milk, ice and Dalgona coffee whip! The whip is simply instant coffee, sugar and hot water in equal parts and then whipped until fluffy!
If you’re a visual person, check out my simple videos for Dalgona Coffee and pearls here!