Kkae Gangjeong

The lacquered New Year sweet of the Korean table: toasted sesame seeds bound in a glossy syrup of rice malt and sugar, pressed thin whilst hot, and cut into neat squares that snap and shatter into warm, nutty crumbs, one of the traditional hangwa confections set out for guests and ancestors at Seollal

Origin: Korea

From the journey of Sesame.

Gangjeong belong to the family of hangwa, the traditional Korean sweets historically served at ancestral rites, weddings, and the festivals of the lunar New Year (Seollal) and harvest (Chuseok). Made from grains, nuts, and seeds bound in jocheong (rice malt syrup), they are amongst the oldest confections of the Korean court and country table. The sesame version, kkae gangjeong, is the most fragrant: toasted sesame, white and black, set in a syrup cooked just to the point where it will harden as it cools, then pressed flat and cut into the tidy squares that hold their place on a New Year platter. Sesame and its oil are woven through the whole of Korean cooking, but here the seed steps forward as the sweet itself. The cook's only difficulty is the syrup, which must be taken exactly to the firm stage: a moment short and it stays sticky, a moment long and it turns hard and bitter.

Ingredients

Brittle

  • 250 g white sesame seeds
  • 2 tbsp black sesame seeds (optional, for contrast)

Syrup

  • 4 tbsp jocheong (Korean rice malt syrup), or substitute brown rice syrup
  • 3 tbsp caster sugar
  • 1 tbsp water
  • 1 tsp neutral oil
  • 1 pinch salt

Method

  1. Toast the white sesame seeds in a dry frying pan over medium heat, stirring constantly, for 3 to 4 minutes until pale gold, fragrant, and beginning to pop. Tip onto a plate. Briefly warm the black sesame in the same way if using. Keep the seeds warm.
  2. Line a tray or board with baking paper and lightly oil a rolling pin and a knife.
  3. In a heavy saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the rice malt syrup, sugar, water, oil, and salt. Stir until the sugar dissolves, then let it bubble gently for 2 to 3 minutes until thickened and the colour of pale honey: a drop in cold water should form a firm, brittle thread.
  4. Take the pan off the heat and immediately stir in all the warm sesame seeds, working quickly until every seed is coated and the mixture pulls together in a glossy mass.
  5. Tip onto the lined tray, lay a second sheet of paper on top, and roll out firmly to an even slab 5 to 6mm thick. Peel off the top sheet.
  6. Whilst still warm and pliable, cut into neat squares or rectangles with the oiled knife. Leave to cool completely until firm and crisp, then separate the pieces and store airtight.

Notes

Kkae gangjeong keeps for two to three weeks in an airtight tin away from damp, which softens it. Rice malt syrup (jocheong) gives the authentic flavour and the right chew-to-snap; if using a substitute, lean towards brown rice syrup or, at a pinch, glucose syrup with a little honey. The same method makes peanut, perilla seed, or puffed-rice gangjeong. For a glossier, slightly chewier sweet, increase the rice syrup and reduce the sugar.

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