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Sirutteok
Red bean steamed rice cake
시루떡 · steamed rice cake layered with red bean crumble
Sirutteok, named after the earthenware siru steamer, is the rice cake Koreans make to bless a new home, open a shop or mark the autumn harvest at a village gosa ceremony; the red adzuki beans were believed to chase away bad luck, and a slice is often left at the door. Layers of fluffy rice flour are steamed between layers of coarse, salted red bean crumble, so every bite is soft, a little sweet and earthy. The common mistake is mashing the beans to paste: the crumble should stay dry and grainy or the layers turn soggy. 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: cook the beans until just tender, drain them, then dry them out in the pan over a low heat until the crumble falls apart.
- Total time
- 120 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the red bean crumble
- 9 oz dried adzuki beansrinsed
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp sugar
For the rice layers
- 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 waterplus a little extra if needed
- 2 ⅛ oz sugar
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What you'll need
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Cover 9 oz dried adzuki beans with water, bring to the boil for 3 minutes, then drain and throw away the water; this removes bitterness.
5 minStep 2: Cover with fresh water by 3 cm and simmer for 40–50 minutes until a bean crushes easily but still holds its shape. Drain well.
50 minStep 4: Rub 1 ⅛ lb wet-milled short-grain rice flour, ½ tsp salt and 5 tbsp water together until a squeezed handful holds together, then push it through a sieve twice. Stir in 2 ⅛ oz sugar lightly.
15 minStep 5: Line a 20 cm steamer with a damp cloth. Scatter a third of the bean crumble over the bottom, then half the rice flour, levelled lightly. Repeat with another third of the beans, the rest of the flour, and finish with the remaining beans.
Step 6: Steam over a strong boil for 25 minutes, then rest off the heat with the lid on for 5 minutes. A skewer should come out clean.
30 minStep 7: Turn out, cut into squares and serve warm. It keeps for a day wrapped, or freeze slices and re-steam.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 320 kcal
- Protein
- 9 g
- Carbs
- 68 g
- Fat
- 1 g
- Fibre
- 6 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does sirutteok take?
- About 120 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 90 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 sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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