How to Make Spring-Flower Rice Cakes

Spring is here, and people are trekking in the mountains to take advantage of the beautiful weather and blossoming flowers. In the old days, people at this time of year would pick wild flowers to make flower rice cakes called hwajeon.

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Pieces of dough from glutinous rice flour are rolled into a ball and pressed flat. Then the flower petals are placed on the disc and pan-fried on a low heat. It looks lovely and tastes great. Season it with a bit of sesame oil or sweeten with honey.

Azaleas are the most popular flower for making hwajeon because they can be eaten raw as well, have a subtle bitterness, and a sweet aftertaste.

Azaleas can be seen across the country. They blossom in spring and paint the hills a vibrant pink.

Azaleas blossom before their leaves come out. They look as if they have five petals, but in fact they are sympetalous. But beware: the look-alike royal azalea is poisonous. The only way to tell the difference is that its flowers come at the same time as the leaves.