Yakgwa (Honey Biscuits) from Alchemy Of Souls

 Take you to experience the sweet charm of the traditional dessert Yakgwa (Honey Fruit)

There are always delicious Korean foods that make people drool in Korean drama. Yakgwa is a common dessert in Korea .Which is commonly known as [약과]! Small and cute flower shapes, as well as colorful  it is mainly made of honey, which is considered to be good for health. It is sweet and fragrant, soft and dense, and has a slightly rusty taste. 

【Small story of Yakgwa (Honey Biscuits)】

In ancient times honey is considered as medicine in Korea. That's why it's called Yakgwa means "medicinal confectionery". Yakgwa is also known as Gwajul. It is said that when King Chung-yeol of Goryeo attended the wedding banquet of his son in the Yuan Dynasty, he gave delicious honey fruit as one of the gifts, so honey fruit was very popular in the Yuan Dynasty, and it was also widely called "Korean cake" by the people. In older time Yakgwa was enjoyed by royal families. During this time Yakgwa mostly served for rituals and wedding.

Yakgwa most often appear during the Spring Festival. Every household will make all kinds of Yakgwa by themselves and give them to relatives and friends as Spring Festival gift boxes. 

If you want to eat Korean drama refreshment, you don't have to fly to Korea. Today, I will teach you how to make Korean 【Honey Biscuits (약과)】 easily!

  

【Prepare ingredients】

olive oil 

Natural Raw Honey ---- 140g

Flour ---- 300g

Water ---- 100cc

Sesame Oil ---- 40ml

Ginger juice ---- 20ml

Rice syrup ---- 30ml

Salt ---- 5g

Cinnamon powder ---- 5g

Pepper ---- 2.5g

Ginger ---- 5 slices

STEP1. First sieve the flour for the first time, pour in the sesame oil and stir well, then sieve twice (3 times in total)

 STEP2.Prepare another pot, add raw honey (40g first), ginger juice, salt, cinnamon powder, pepper powder and rice syrup and stir, and pour in the sifted flour for mixing. After the dough is slowly formed, knead Can be flat

 STEP3.Cut the processed dough in half and overlap, repeat 4 times, wrap it with plastic wrap and place it at room temperature for about 30 minutes

 STEP4. Then we can start preparing the syrup. Boil ginger, raw honey (the remaining 100g) and water over low heat, stir while cooking for about 5 minutes, turn off the heat and set aside

 

STEP5. Take out the dough from the plastic wrap and press it into a thickness of about 1 cm. Then emboss your favorite model (poke a few small holes on the surface)

 STEP6. Pour olive oil into the pot and add the pressed dough, fry on low heat (about 100°C) for about 5 minutes, turn to medium heat (about 140°C) and fry until golden brown on both sides, then take out. (Can be placed on kitchen towel to remove excess oil)

 STEP7. Soak the fried Yakgwa in the boiled syrup for 2-3 hours, and finally drip off the excess syrup and you are done!

In fact, Yakgwa has been in decline for a period of time in South Korea. It is through the rise of Korean court dramas and old-time dramas that people have re-recognized the delicious essence of traditional Korean food, and also opened up another new chapter in the history and culture of Yakgwa.