Maejakgwa (ginger cookies)
Maejakgwa is a crunchy cookie made with ginger-flavored dough in a ribbon shape. It's deep-fried and coated with simple syrup.
- Prep time
- 20 min
- Cook time
- 10 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger
- 4 tablespoons water
- 1 cup flour (about 5 ounces/140 grams)
- 1/4 salt
- 4 tablespoons ginger water
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup water (see the note )
- 1 tablespoon corn syrup (or maple syrup, honey, oligo syrup, or rice syrup)
- Oil for frying (about 1 cup using a small skillet)
- 1 teaspoon pine nuts, finely chopped - optional
- 1/2 cup flour (about 2.5 ounces/70 grams)
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon green tea powder
- 2 tablespoons ginger water
- 1/2 cup flour (about 2.5 ounces/70 grams)
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons beet water flavored with ginger
Instructions
- 1
Make ginger water by adding the grated ginger to 4 tablespoons of water. Run it through a sieve to remove the fibrous part.
- 2
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 cookies. Cover with a plastic wrap, and let it rest for 30 minutes. After resting, the dough will feel slightly softer.
- 3
Over medium low heat in 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 the note.
- 4
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 flattened one with a rolling pin to make a thin rectangle, about 5 x 8-inch.
- 5
Cut the rectangle in half lengthwise, and then cut each half into about 6 1-inch small rectangles.
- 6
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.
- 7
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.
- 8
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.
- 9
Coat with the syrup while still warm. Sprinkle with the optional pine nuts on top.
- 10
For the white/green dough (1 batch): Make ginger water using step 1. Make 1/2 batch of white dough using step 2. Do the same thing for the green dough with an addition of green tea powder.
- 11
For the white/red dough (1 batch): Make ginger water using step 1. Make 1/2 batch of white dough using step 2. Boil a slice of beet in 1/4 cup of water until the liquid is reduced to a half. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of ginger water from step 1 and simmer for a minute. Make the red dough using step 2 but with beet water.
- 12
Put the same amounts of two different color doughs together and roll it out, cut, and shape, following steps 4 to 7.