Yakgwa — Honey Pastry Oil Bath Temperature (약과)

Ingredients

• For the dough
• 300 g plain wheat flour
• 60 ml sesame oil
• 60 ml honey
• 30 ml fresh ginger juice, pressed from grated ginger
• 30 ml water, to adjust dough consistency
• For frying
• 1.5 litres neutral frying oil
• For the honey syrup soak
• 200 ml honey
• 60 ml water, warm, to dilute honey to a pourable syrup

Method

1. 1
   Combine the flour and sesame oil in a wide bowl and rub the oil into the flour with the fingertips, working as for shortcrust pastry, so that the fat coats every particle of flour and later limits gluten formation, keeping the finished pastry tender rather than tough. Continue until the mixture resembles fine, even crumbs with no dry pockets of flour remaining. The mixture must coat the hands lightly and hold its shape momentarily when pressed — this stage is complete when no loose flour is visible.
2. 2
   Whisk together the honey, ginger juice, and water, then add to the crumbed flour in two additions, bringing the dough together with minimal working, so the gluten stays short and the pastry does not tighten and resist the mold. The dough should be firm, not sticky, and hold a clean edge when cut. Do not knead beyond cohesion.
3. 3
   Roll the dough to approximately 1 cm thickness on an unfloured surface — extra flour worked in at this stage would disturb the ratio already set — then cut into rectangular pieces or press into traditional floral yakgwa molds (yakgwa tteoksal). The mold impressions should be sharp and distinct, as the indentations will collect and hold honey syrup during the final soak.
4. 4
   This is where the dish lives or dies. Pour the frying oil into a wide, deep pan and bring it to exactly 130–150°C — confirm with a thermometer and hold that range throughout the entire fry, because yakgwa placed in oil above 150°C will puff rapidly, crack, and produce a hollow interior or a hard shell before the centre cooks, an irreversible error. Lower the shaped yakgwa into the oil in batches without crowding and fry slowly, turning occasionally, until the pieces are cooked through and evenly golden — this takes considerably longer than standard frying. The correct sign is an even, deep amber colour with no pale centre visible at the edges, and a surface that is set but not hard.
5. 5
   While the yakgwa fries, warm the honey and water together over low heat to a fluid, pourable syrup, keeping it warm rather than boiling so it remains thin enough to be drawn into the pastry without cooking the surface on contact. The syrup must be at this warm, pourable consistency when the yakgwa enters it.
6. 6
   Transfer the freshly fried yakgwa directly from the oil into the warm honey syrup and submerge immediately, so the heat still held inside the pastry pulls the syrup inward rather than letting it sit on the surface — even five minutes of cooling before submerging significantly reduces absorption. Leave submerged until the surface is deeply amber and uniformly glossy, indicating full absorption. A pale or patchy surface means the soak is incomplete.
7. 7
   Lift the yakgwa from the syrup and transfer to a rack to drain. Break one open and examine the cross-section — it must show a consistent, slightly porous interior without a dense compressed centre or a hollow air pocket, confirming the oil temperature was held correctly throughout the fry. Press gently with a fingertip; it should yield with slight resistance and retain a faint impression.