If you’ve never made rice cakes at home, this recipe from Jennifer Ban of Rice Blossoms for the rustic Korean tteok (rice cake) called injeolmi is a great place to start. Traditionally, this type of rice cake was laborious to prepare, requiring you to soak, steam, then pound sweet rice until all the grains were evenly mashed. These days the convenience and availability of sweet rice flour (also known as mochiko, mochi flour, glutinous rice flour, or chap-ssal in Korean) makes the process a snap. The rice cake itself has just three ingredients: sweet rice flour, a little sugar, and water. This mixture is poured into a lined steamer and steamed until cooked through, resulting in a rice cake that’s delightfully chewy, stretchy, and subtly sweet. Injeolmi’s signature flavor comes from a generous dusting of roasted soybean powder, or gomul. Roasted soybean powder, which you can find at Korean markets or online, adds an almost peanut buttery flavor and a hint of natural sweetness to these gluten-free treats. Injeolmi are best the day they’re made, but you can store any extras in the freezer and either reheat them briefly in the microwave or thaw at room temperature.
What you’ll need
Carbon Steel Wok
$70 $66 At Amazon
Bamboo Steamer Basket
$42 $35 At Amazon
Kuhn Rikon 10-Inch French Whisk
$18 $15 At Amazon
Silicone Spatula
$13 At Amazon
Recipe information
Yield
Makes about 14
Ingredients
Special Equipment
Preparation
Step 1
Pour water into a large wok or saucepan to come 3" up sides. Bring to a boil and set bamboo steamer on top. Line steamer with damp cheesecloth; sprinkle with sugar (this helps prevent rice cakes from sticking).
Step 2
Whisk together 1 cup sweet rice flour (mochiko) and ⅓ cup sugar in a medium bowl. Add 1 cup room-temperature water and whisk until incorporated and mixture is lump-free. Pour mixture into steamer basket, cover, and steam, adding more water to wok or saucepan if needed, until rice cake is opaque and firm, 40–45 minutes.
Step 3
Generously sprinkle a work surface with cornstarch. Carefully invert rice cake onto surface and slowly peel away cheesecloth, using a wet spatula to help scrape off dough if needed. Let cool 5–10 minutes.
Step 4
Evenly sprinkle rice cake with ½ cup roasted soybean powder; pat to adhere. Cut rice cake into 1½" squares with a sharp knife. Working with 1 piece of rice cake, gather all the corners and pinch together to form a teardrop shape, then roll between your palms into balls; repeat with remaining rice cakes. Sprinkle with more roasted soybean powder to coat; pat to adhere. Sprinkle with remaining 2 tsp. sugar. Serve warm or at room temperature.
