These small, thin rice cakes are panfried and then seasonal, edible flowers are pressed into them and they are drizzled with a sweet syrup (or honey, if you prefer). They brighten the day of anyone who eats them, and they’re great with warm tea. Traditionally, in the springtime, women would go on picnics to celebrate and enjoy the beauty of nature in the mountains. They would take sweet rice flour and a pan with them and would pick some Korean mountain azaleas. Then they’d set up their picnic and make hwajeon with the petals of the azaleas that they had just picked. Azaleas available in the United States are not edible, but you can make hwajeon with flowers such as roses or nasturtiums in the summer or chrysanthemums in the fall. If your flowers are small, use 2 or 3 for each cake. If they are large, use just a few petals. I get snapdragons and Gem marigolds from my local farmers’ market and use them. Do be careful, though, because not all flowers are edible, and only flowers grown without pesticides are safe to eat.
Serves 2 or 3; makes 5 pancakes
INGREDIENTS:
FOR THE SYRUP
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 3 tablespoons water
FOR THE PANCAKES
- ½ cup glutinous rice flour (chapssal-garu)
- Pinch of kosher salt
- ¼ cup boiling water
- About 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- Edible flowers, such as roses, snapdragons, Gem marigolds, chrysanthemums, or nasturtiums
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Make the syrup: Combine the sugar and water in a small heavy saucepan and cook over low heat for 5 minutes, without stirring. Tilt and swirl the pan to dissolve any remaining sugar granules. Remove from the heat. Transfer to a small bowl.
- Make the pancakes: Combine the rice flour, salt, and boiling water in a medium bowl. Mix with a wooden spoon until the dough comes together and is no longer too hot to handle. Knead it in the bowl until smooth, a few minutes.
- Divide the dough into 5 equal pieces and roll the pieces into balls. Cover with a sheet of plastic wrap. Press each one into a 2½-inch disk; keep the disks covered.
- Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat for a few minutes, then turn the heat down to very low. Add a few drops of vegetable oil. Add 2 or 3 of the cakes to the pan and cook until the bottoms become a little crisp but haven’t yet begun to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Turn them over and press down with a spatula to keep them thin and round. Cook until the second sides are a little crispy but still white, another 3 to 4 minutes. (Sometimes these will puff up a little bit.) Place a flower or a few flowers, or a few petals, depending on their size, on top of each pancake and turn them flower side down. Press down with the spatula for 1 second to seal the flowers into the cakes. Transfer to a serving plate, flower side up. Repeat with the remaining cakes.
- Drizzle the syrup over the cakes and serve.
