Honey Rice Puff Cookies (Korean Double-Fried Puffed Glutinous Rice)
Yugwa is a traditional Korean rice puff cookie made by kneading glutinous rice flour with makgeolli, drying the shaped pieces for two hours, then double-frying them at low and high temperatures to achieve dramatic puffing. The yeast in makgeolli creates tiny air pockets in the dough that expand during the second, hotter fry, and thorough drying beforehand is essential to prevent dangerous oil splatter. A warm glaze of rice syrup and honey is tossed over the fried pieces, forming a sticky layer that anchors a coating of puffed rice and a dusting of ground cinnamon. The finished cookie shatters into airy shards when bitten, with the nutty, fermented depth of glutinous rice meeting the warm spice of cinnamon under a crisp cereal shell.
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Instructions
- 1
Knead glutinous rice flour with salt and makgeolli into a firm dough.
- 2
Roll to 1 cm thickness, cut into sticks, and air-dry for 2 hours.
- 3
First-fry at 140°C slowly until cooked through, then remove.
- 4
Second-fry at 170°C briefly to puff and crisp.
- 5
Warm rice syrup and honey on low heat, then coat the fried pieces.
- 6
Toss with puffed rice and cinnamon, then cool before serving.
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