Injeolmi rice cakes
Injeolmi are traditional Korean glutinous rice cakes, steamed and then pounded until wonderfully chewy, cut into small pieces and rolled in fragrant roasted soybean flour. They're soft, chewy and only lightly sweet, with a nutty bean flavor, and are often enjoyed with tea on holidays or on chilly afternoons.
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Rising or chilling
- 15 min
- Total time
- 1 hr
- Method
- Steamed
Ingredients
For the rice cake
For the coating
Instructions
Step 1
Put 200 g glutinous rice flour, 20 g granulated sugar and a pinch of salt in a heatproof bowl, slowly pour in 220 g water, and stir until everything dissolves. Stirring well at this stage helps the cake cook evenly, without gritty raw bits. The mixture is ready when it is about as runny as thinned condensed milk with no lumps left.
Step 2
Set the bowl in a steamer over rapidly boiling water, wrap the lid in a towel so condensation doesn't drip onto the cake, and steam for about 25 minutes, opening it every ten minutes to stir vigorously with a flat spatula. Stirring partway through makes sure the center cooks as well as the edges. The cake is done when the whole mass has turned from opaque white to translucent, very sticky and thick, and stretches into long strands when lifted.
Step 3
While it steams, sift 40 g roasted soybean flour with 10 g powdered sugar and a pinch of salt, then spread half of it over a clean tray or cutting board. This bed of coating keeps the hot rice cake from sticking to the tray. The coating is ready when it is fine and loose, an even golden brown, with no lumps.
Step 4
Dip a wooden pestle or flat spatula in lightly salted water and pound and knead the hot rice cake for about five minutes, folding it over many times. Thorough pounding makes the cake smooth and chewy and keeps it soft longer. It's ready when the surface is glossy, with no grains left, and it stretches with good elasticity.
Step 5
Turn the rice cake out onto the bed of coating, sprinkle the remaining coating on top, and press it with your hands into a slab about two centimeters thick. Let it cool for about fifteen minutes, then cut it into twenty-four squares with a knife dusted in the coating. Cooling a bit lets the cake set so it cuts cleanly without sticking to the knife. The pieces are ready when they are neat squares and the edges don't pull and stick together.
Step 6
Roll each piece through the soybean coating once more to cover every side, then arrange them on a plate. A thick coating keeps the cakes from sticking to your fingers and makes them richer and nuttier. They're ready when every piece is fully wrapped in golden coating, with no white rice cake showing.
Equipment
- Steamer
- Mixing bowl
- Spatula
- Kitchen scale
- Sieve
- Plastic wrap
Tips
- For a quicker version, use the microwave: cover the bowl with plastic wrap poked with holes, microwave for two minutes, stir well, then keep microwaving one minute at a time until the cake is translucent and chewy.
- If you don't have roasted soybean flour, toast dried soybeans until deep golden, then grind them finely and sift.
- A popular twist is injeolmi rolled in black sesame powder or matcha powder, which looks lovely on a plate together with the classic version.
Storage
Injeolmi are best on the day they're made and should be kept at room temperature in an airtight container. To keep them longer, wrap each piece and freeze for up to a month; thaw at room temperature or microwave for a few seconds to soften them again.
Common problems and how to fix them
- The rice cakes harden after only a few hours.
- Glutinous rice cakes harden quickly in the cold or when they haven't been pounded enough. Pound for a few more minutes and avoid storing the cakes in the fridge.
- There are opaque white spots in the rice cake after steaming.
- Those parts didn't cook because they weren't stirred evenly. Stir the rice cake vigorously and steam for five to ten more minutes until it is evenly translucent.
This recipe is based on the common ratios for this bake and is written entirely in our own words.
