Hwajeon || Pan-fried Flower Rice Cake, 花煎糕, 花煎糕, 花びらのチヂミ, 화전 2

Hwajeon is a traditional Korean pancake made with glutinous rice flour and edible flower petals. It’s often enjoyed during the spring season when various flowers are in bloom.

Yields: 6 servings

Ingredients:

• 3 cups glutinous rice
• 6 cups water
• 20 dried dates
• 1 bunch of mugwort
• 5 cloud ear mushrooms
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 cup honey
• Blue and pink food coloring
• A pinch of salt

Instructions:

1. Prepare the glutinous rice: Soak the glutinous rice in water for 4-5 hours. Drain and grind the soaked rice into a fine powder, adding a pinch of salt.
2. Create the colored dough: Gradually add boiling water to the ground rice and mix until a dough forms. Divide the dough into three equal portions. Leave one portion white, and color the remaining two portions with blue and pink food coloring, respectively. Cover with a damp cloth to prevent drying.
3. Prepare the toppings: Remove the seeds from the dates and cut them into thin strips. Pick the tender leaves from the mugwort. Clean the cloud ear mushrooms thoroughly and cut them into thin strips.
4. Shape and cook the rice cakes: Take a small portion of the dough and shape it into a flat circle about 5 cm in diameter. Heat a frying pan with oil and gently fry the rice cakes until they are soft. Flip them over and top with the prepared toppings. Fry until the toppings are heated through. Drizzle with honey or sprinkle with sugar.

Tips:

• Flower selection: Use edible flowers only.
• Batter consistency: The batter should be thick enough to hold the flower petals.
• Frying: Fry the pancakes over medium heat to ensure even cooking.