Yakgwa
Honey ginger cookies
약과 · Korean honey cookies fried slowly and soaked in ginger syrup
Yakgwa, 'medicinal sweet', were once so prized at royal banquets in Joseon-era Seoul that the court restricted who could make them, because of the honey and oil they swallowed. Today they turn up in gift boxes for Seollal and Chuseok and on the ancestral memorial table, and lately in Seoul cafés that cannot keep them in stock. The flaky, layered dough is fried at a low heat, then left to drink a ginger and cinnamon honey syrup until it is dense and soft all the way through. The mistake nearly everyone makes the first time is frying too hot: the outside browns while the middle stays raw and hard, so keep the oil low and be patient. Contains wheat and sesame. Chef's tip: fold and press the dough, don't knead it; the loose layers are what open up into those flaky ridges.
- Total time
- 110 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the ginger syrup
- 1 oz fresh gingerthinly sliced
- 1 cup water
- 7 oz rice syrupjocheong
- 3 ½ oz honey
For the dough
- 10 ½ oz plain flour
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 pinch ground white pepper
- ¼ cup toasted sesame oil
- 2 ½ oz honey
- 2 tbsp ginger juicesqueezed from grated fresh ginger
- 2 tbsp water
To fry and finish
- 1 litre neutral oilfor frying
- 1 tbsp pine nuts (optional)finely chopped
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Method
0/9 doneStep 1: Make the syrup first so it can cool: simmer 1 oz fresh ginger, 1 cup water and 1 cinnamon stick in a small pan over a medium heat for 10 minutes, then stir in 7 oz rice syrup and 3 ½ oz honey and simmer 5 minutes more until slightly thickened. Strain and leave to cool.
15 minStep 2: Mix 10 ½ oz plain flour, ¼ tsp salt and 1 pinch ground white pepper in a bowl. Drizzle in ¼ cup toasted sesame oil and rub it in with your fingertips until the flour looks like damp sand and clumps when squeezed.
Step 3: Stir 2 ½ oz honey, 2 tbsp ginger juice and 2 tbsp water together and add to the flour. Bring it together with a spatula, cutting and pressing rather than kneading.
Step 4: Press the dough into a rough slab, cut it in half, stack one half on the other and press down. Repeat 3 times. Stop while it still looks slightly rough; overworking makes hard yakgwa.
5 minStep 5: Roll the dough about 1 cm thick and cut into 4 cm squares, or press into flower-shaped yakgwa moulds. Prick each piece through a few times with a skewer so the inside cooks.
Step 6: Heat 1 litre neutral oil in a deep pan to 225°F. Lower in the cookies and fry gently for 10–12 minutes; they will float and open into layers but stay pale.
12 minStep 7: Raise the heat until the oil reaches 275°F and fry for another 4–6 minutes, turning, until deep amber all over. Cut one open: there should be no pale, doughy core.
6 minStep 8: Drain on a rack for 1 minute, then drop the hot cookies into the cool syrup. Leave them for at least 2 hours (overnight is better), turning once, until soaked through.
120 minStep 9: Lift out, let excess syrup drip off and sprinkle with 1 tbsp pine nuts. Keep in an airtight box for up to a week.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 360 kcal
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbs
- 58 g
- Fat
- 14 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does yakgwa take?
- About 110 minutes in total: 40 minutes to prepare and 70 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of fresh ginger?
- ¼ tsp ground ginger per tbsp fresh (add it with the spices).
- What can I use instead of honey?
- Maple syrup or golden syrup, same amount.
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