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Kreamy Vegan

Songpyeon

An iconic white rice cake for Chuseok, Korean Thanksgiving holiday
Print Recipe
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Korean
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Dough
  • 200 g Rice flour
  • 160 ml Hot water or 2/3 cup of water
  • 2 g Salt
Fillings
  • 1/4 cup Sesame seeds Roasted and half-grinded
  • 1/4 cup Sugar
  • 1/3 cup Roasted soybean powder
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 1 tbsp Date syrup

Method
 

  1. Mix salt and rice flour.
  2. Bring the water to a boil, and put hot water bit by bit on the rice flour. Mix the rice flour thoroughly with a spatula as you put hot water so every part of the rice flour gets moisturized.
  3. Knead the dough for 10 minutes once the flour gets clumped. Put the dough inside a container and let it rest for 20 minutes. In the meantime, make fillings.
  4. Roast the sesame seeds in a pan or put them in the oven for 15 minutes at 160 Celsius or 320 Fahrenheit. It will turn into a golden color.
  5. Cool the sesame seeds and grind them until half of the sesame seeds are broken and half of them are intact.
  6. Mix the sesame seeds, sugar, soybean powder, salt, and 1/4 of a teaspoon.
  7. Shape the dough into a songpyeon. Please find detailed instructions below.*
  8. Line a steamer with fresh pine needles if you have one. This traditional step adds a fragrant aroma to Songpyeon, but it’s optional.
  9. Steam the Songyeon for 10 minutes or until they become translucent and have a shiny appearance.
  10. Let it cool and brush it lightly with some neutral oil. Then serve it with a warm glass of tea!
How to shape the Songpyeon*
  1. Divide the dough into 20 grams each.
  2. Roll the dough into a ball.
  3. Flatten the ball into a small disk, and place a small amount of your desired filling. Usually, a 1/3 teaspoon will work.
  4. Carefully fold the dough over the filling to encase it, then pinch the edges together to seal it. 
  5. Dip your fingers in some water if the dough starts to crack.
  6. Shape it into a half-moon shape.

Notes

Tips
It is very important to use the correct rice flour! If you cannot find Korean rice flour, then you can use 50% of the rice flour of your choice and 50% of the glutinous rice flour. Korean rice flour is usually stickier than other kinds, which is a key feature you need in a rice cake. I find Thai rice flour works similarly to Korean rice flour. If I can't even find Thai rice flour, I use 50% of Indian rice flour and 50% of Vietnamese glutinous rice flour.