Check off each step as you cook.

1. 01Prepare the syrup.Combine rice syrup, soaking honey, measured water, and ginger in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer and cook gently for 6–8 minutes without vigorous stirring. It should remain fluid enough to soak into a cookie. Remove from the heat, leave the ginger to infuse, and let the syrup become lukewarm.
2. 02Mix and rest the dough.Rub sesame oil into the flour until evenly sandy. Mix dough honey, soju, salt, and cinnamon separately, then stir into the flour mixture. Press together just until it forms a pliable dough; add water a few drops at a time only if crumbly, or a light dusting of flour if wet. Cover and rest for 20 minutes.
3. 03Fold and cut.Roll the dough to about ½ inch / 1 cm thick, fold into thirds, and repeat this gentle roll-and-fold once more without kneading. Roll to about ⅓ inch / 8 mm thick. Cut diamonds, aiming for about 20 g of dough per cookie, roughly 2–2½ inches / 5–6 cm across. Press a fork through each cookie in a few places so oil and syrup can reach the center. Gather scraps gently and shape to the same thickness.
4. 04Begin frying at low heat.Pour oil into a deep heavy saucepan to a depth of about 2 inches / 5 cm, keeping the pan less than half full. Heat to 230°F / 110°C. Lower in a small uncrowded batch and maintain approximately 220–240°F / 105–115°C for 8–12 minutes, turning gently, until the cookies float and begin to open into layers.
5. 05Brown gradually.With the cookies still in the pan, gradually raise the oil to 300°F / 150°C over about 5 minutes, then cook for 2–4 minutes more until evenly golden brown and cooked through. Break open the first cookie to check that there is no raw floury center. Lift onto a rack to drain. Let the oil return to the starting temperature before frying the next batch.
6. 06Soak, drain, and settle.Remove ginger from the lukewarm syrup. Put warm drained cookies into a shallow dish and pour the syrup over them. Soak for 60 minutes, turning several times so every surface is coated. Drain on a rack over a tray, then leave for about 20 minutes before serving. The texture will be tender and syrupy rather than crisp.

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