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Baekseolgi
White steamed rice cake
백설기 · snow-white steamed rice cake for 100th-day and first birthdays
Baekseolgi, 'white snow cake', is the plain steamed rice cake that Korean families share out on a baby's baek-il, the 100th day, and at the doljanchi first-birthday party, where its pure white colour stands for a clean, long life. Custom says it should go to a hundred neighbours. It has a fine, crumbly-soft, cake-like texture and a mild, milky rice sweetness, best eaten the day it is made with a cup of barley tea. The usual mistake is skipping the sieving: unsieved flour steams into a heavy, patchy cake, so push it through twice. Rice cakes are chewy and sticky, a known choking risk: cut them into small pieces for young children and older people and eat them sitting down. Chef's tip: score the raw cake into portions before steaming; it cooks more evenly and you can lift pieces out cleanly.
- Total time
- 55 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
- 1 ⅛ lb wet-milled short-grain rice flourfrozen Korean maepssal garu, thawed; if it is unsalted, add the salt
- ½ tsp salt
- 5 tbsp wateryou may need 1–2 tbsp more
- 2 ⅛ oz caster sugar
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Rub 1 ⅛ lb wet-milled short-grain rice flour and ½ tsp salt together, then add 5 tbsp water a spoonful at a time, rubbing between your palms. Test by squeezing a handful: it should hold its shape, then break cleanly in two when tossed gently. Add a little more water if it crumbles.
10 minStep 2: Push the flour through a medium sieve twice, rubbing with your palm. It should look light and fluffy.
10 minStep 3: Stir in 2 ⅛ oz caster sugar lightly with your fingers; don't press it down.
Step 4: Line a 20 cm steamer ring or bamboo steamer with a damp cloth. Spoon the flour in loosely, level it gently with a scraper without packing it, and score into 8 squares with a knife.
Step 5: Steam over a strong boil for 20 minutes, then turn off the heat and leave covered for 5 minutes. A skewer pushed into the centre should come out clean and dry.
25 minStep 6: Lift out with the cloth, turn onto a board and serve warm. Wrap leftovers airtight to stop them drying out, or freeze them.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 230 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 52 g
- Fat
- 0 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does baekseolgi take?
- About 55 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of caster sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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