Maejakgwa Korean Recipes
Maejakgwa Korean Recipes - Made simply with flour, ginger and sugar, maejakgwa is a traditional Korean sweet confection that’s deep-fried and coated with simple syrup. Crunchy and delicious!
Served on holidays and special occasions, maejakgwa (매작과) is a traditional Korean confection (hangwa) made with ginger-flavored flour dough in a ribbon shape. It’s deep-fried, dunked in simple syrup, and typically topped with finely ground pine nuts.
Ingredients
For the ginger water
1 teaspoon grated ginger
4 tablespoons water
For the white dough (24 cookies)
1 cup flour (about 5 ounces/140 grams)
1/4 salt
4 tablespoons ginger water
For the syrup (for 24 cookies)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon corn syrup (or maple syrup, honey, oligo syrup, or rice syrup)
Other ingredients
Oil for frying (about 1 cup using a small skillet)
1 teaspoon pine nuts, finely chopped - optional
For the green dough (12 cookies) - optional
1/2 cup flour (about 2.5 ounces/70 grams)
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon green tea powder
2 tablespoons ginger water
For the red dough (12 cookies) - optional
1/2 cup flour ((about 2.5 ounces/70 grams)
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons beet water flavored with ginger (See note 1)
Instructions
- Make ginger water by adding the grated ginger to 4 tablespoons of water. Run it through a sieve to remove the fibrous part.
- Sift the flour and salt together. Add 4 tablespoons of ginger water, and mix it well. Knead with the heel of your hand until the dough comes together without visible flour in the dough and the bowl. Add a little more water if necessary, a teaspoon at a time. It should feel dry and stiff for easy shaping of the cookie. Cover with a plastic wrap, and let it rest for 30 minutes. After resting, the dough will feel slightly softer.
- over medium low heatIn a small saucepan, bring the sugar, syrup and water to a boil over medium low heat. Continue to simmer until the syrup is reduced to half, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. See note 2.
- Flour a cutting board. Cut the dough (if used 1 cup of flour) into two pieces for easier handling. Flatten one piece to a small rectangle. Wrap the other one until ready to use. Roll the flatten one with a rolling pin to make a thin rectangle, about 5 x 8-inch.
- Cut the rectangle in half lengthwise, and then cut each half into about 6 1-inch small rectangles.
- Fold a piece in the middle. From the folded side, make a slit in the middle, and then a shorter slit on each side of the middle slit.
- Unfold it, and push one end through the middle slit, wiggling it gently to shape it. Repeat with all pieces. Repeat steps 4, 5, 6 and 7 with the other half of the dough from step 4.
- Pour about 1 inch of oil into a heavy bottom pan. When the oil is hot (275°F/135°C), drop the pieces in one at a time. Cook for about 3 minutes. Remove and briefly set them on a wire rack or in a strainer.
- Coat with the syrup while still warm. Sprinkle with the optional pine nuts on top.