Songpyeon
Stuffed rice cakes
송편 · Chuseok half-moon rice cakes with toasted sesame filling, steamed on pine needles
On the eve of Chuseok, the harvest moon festival, families all over Korea sit around one table pinching songpyeon, and the old saying goes that whoever shapes the prettiest ones will have pretty children. The chewy rice-flour shells are filled with crunchy toasted sesame and sugar that melts into a syrup as they steam, and the batch is laid on fresh pine needles so the cakes pick up a faint forest scent. They go to the ancestral table first, then out to everyone with a cup of tea. The common mistake is a dough that is too dry: it cracks while you shape it and splits in the steamer, so it should feel as soft as an earlobe. Rice cakes are dense and sticky, so cut them small for young children and older people and make sure they eat sitting down: they are a known choking risk. Chef's tip: brush the steamed cakes with sesame oil while they are still hot; it stops them sticking together and gives that glossy finish you see at the market.
- Total time
- 85 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the dough
- 1 ⅛ lb wet-milled short-grain rice flourfrozen Korean maepssal garu, thawed; if already salted, skip the salt
- ½ tsp salt
- ¾ cup boiling wateryou may need a little more or less
- 1 tsp mugwort powder (optional)for a green batch; or use 1 tsp pumpkin powder for yellow
For the sesame filling
- 2 ⅞ oz white sesame seeds
- 1 ¾ oz light brown sugar
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 tbsp rice syrupjocheong, or golden syrup
To steam and finish
- 1 handful clean pine needles (optional)washed, unsprayed; or line the steamer with baking paper
- 2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
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Method
0/9 doneStep 1: Toast 2 ⅞ oz white sesame seeds in a dry pan over a medium-low heat, shaking often, until golden and a seed crushes easily between your fingers. Crush them roughly in a mortar so half are broken.
5 minStep 2: Mix the crushed sesame with 1 ¾ oz light brown sugar, 1 pinch salt and 1 tbsp rice syrup. It should clump when pressed; if it is too loose, add a few drops of water.
Step 3: Rub 1 ⅛ lb wet-milled short-grain rice flour and ½ tsp salt together in a bowl. If you want two colours, move a third of the flour to a second bowl and mix in 1 tsp mugwort powder.
Step 4: Pour in ¾ cup boiling water a little at a time, stirring with a spoon, then knead with your hands for 5 minutes. The dough is right when it is smooth, holds a dent without cracking and feels like an earlobe. Cover it with a damp cloth so it doesn't dry out.
8 minStep 5: Pinch off walnut-sized pieces (about 20 g). Roll each into a ball, press your thumb into it and pinch the walls into a cup about 3 mm thick.
20 minStep 6: Spoon in 1 teaspoon of filling, close the cup and press out any air. Seal the edge firmly and shape into a plump half-moon. Cracks mean the dough is drying: wet your fingers and smooth them over.
Step 7: Bring water to the boil in a steamer. Line the basket with 1 handful clean pine needles or baking paper and set the cakes on it, a finger's width apart.
Step 8: Steam over a high heat for 20–25 minutes, until the cakes look slightly translucent and spring back when pressed.
25 minStep 9: Lift them into a bowl of cold water for a few seconds to firm up, drain, then toss gently with 2 tbsp toasted sesame oil while still warm. Pick off any clinging needles before serving.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 290 kcal
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbs
- 52 g
- Fat
- 7 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does songpyeon take?
- About 85 minutes in total: 60 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 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.
- What can I use instead of white sesame seeds?
- Poppy seeds or finely chopped pumpkin seeds, same amount.
- What can I use instead of light brown sugar?
- White sugar + 1 tsp honey or golden syrup per 100g.
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