There is a type of Korean confectionary called Sukshilgwa (숙실과) that refers to sweets that are made by using fruits that have been heated and then coated with sweeteners like honey or sugar. Sukshilgwa literally means ‘cooked fruits’, which is basically what sukshilgwa is. It is a traditional Korean sweet that used to be presented for grand feasts, but nowadays sukshilgwa can hardly be seen because of the arduous process in making it.
One type of sweet that falls under the category of Sukshilgwa is Joran (조란). Joran is a tasty Korean treat that involves boiling some jujubes in honey water until they are soft. Then the jujubes are cut open and the pits are thrown out. The rest of the jujubes are formed into the shape that you see in the picture. Then as a decorative measure a piece of pine nut is taken and pressed onto one end of the joran. This is a healthy treat to munch on when you have some time to kill!
Yullan (율란) is a type of sukshilgwa that uses chestnuts. The chestnuts are boiled until they are soft and later formed into the shape of a chestnut by hand. You can kind of cheat and shorten the process by just buying chestnut powder, which is powder that is made from grinding chestnuts. Whether you boil the chestnuts or buy the powder, remember to add some honey to the amount that you like. Then at the very end add some cinnamon powder at the base of the yullan to mimic the look of chestnuts.
Sengran (생란) is a type of sukshilgwa that is made of ginger. The skin off the ginger is first peeled and boiled with sugar water until it is soft. Then the ginger is grinded in a mixer and shaped into a three sided star with some honey. Some people like to coat the outside of the sengran with some sugar or coconut powder to further sweeten the sengran. Sengran has that extra kick or spice mixed with sweetness, so it’ll definitely make an impact on your tongue!
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1) Yakgwa (약과) is made by kneading some wheat flour and frying it in honey and seasame oil. Sometimes instead of wheat flour rice flour is used. Also, in place of honey, rice wine can also be used as well. Yakgwa (약과) is brown in color and is made in the mold of a flower. These cookie like sweets can get stale very quickly, so make sure they’re refrigerated properly. As for taste, I would say they taste close to what I feel ginger snap cookies taste like.
2) Sukshilkwa (숙실과) is made by boiling some fruits, ginger, and pine nuts in water mixed with honey. You can add chestnuts as well. Sukshilkwa (숙실과) come in a variety of colors. Some are tannish, some are blackish, some are white, etc. As for taste, it really depends on the ingreedients. If you add in lots of sugar and honey, it has a tendency to be sweeter.
3) Jungkwa (정과) is made by boiling either fruits or plant roots in honey and some mulyot (물엿) or Korean liquid candy. It’s soft like jello. You can pretty much put anything in jungkwa (정과) including carrots, ginseng, melons, sweet potatoes, etc. Food coloring is optional. It tastes like American jello, but less sweeter.