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Yaksik
Sweet rice with chestnuts
약식 · steamed sweet rice with chestnuts, jujubes and pine nuts
Yaksik began as a dish for Daeboreum, the first full moon of the lunar year, and is now a standard of Chuseok and Seollal tables and of birthday gifts, cut into neat squares and wrapped in cling film. Glutinous rice is steamed, tossed with dark sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil and cinnamon, then steamed a second time with chestnuts, jujubes and pine nuts until it turns a deep caramel brown and holds together like a soft, chewy cake. The usual mistake is skipping the soak: unsoaked rice stays hard in the centre however long you steam it. Contains soy, sesame and pine nuts. 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: caramelise a spoonful of the sugar in a dry pan before adding it; that dark caramel gives the traditional colour without needing extra soy sauce.
- Total time
- 95 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
- 14 oz glutinous ricesoaked in water for at least 4 hours, or overnight
- ½ tsp salt
- 5 ½ oz peeled roasted chestnutshalved
- 10 dried jujubes (red dates)stoned and quartered
- 2 tbsp pine nuts
- 1 oz raisins (optional)
For the seasoning
- 3 ½ oz dark brown sugar
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 3 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 4 tbsp water
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Drain 14 oz glutinous rice well. Line a steamer basket with a damp cloth, spread the rice over it and steam over a high heat for 30 minutes, sprinkling the rice with a little salted water (dissolve ½ tsp salt in 100 ml water) halfway through.
30 minStep 2: Put 2 tablespoons of 3 ½ oz dark brown sugar and 4 tbsp water in a small pan and heat without stirring until it turns dark amber. Take it off the heat and stir in the rest of the sugar, 2 tbsp soy sauce and 1 tsp ground cinnamon until the sugar dissolves.
5 minStep 3: Tip the hot rice into a large bowl and pour the caramel mixture over it. Fold it through with a spatula until every grain is brown and glossy.
Step 4: Fold in 5 ½ oz peeled roasted chestnuts, 10 dried jujubes (red dates), 2 tbsp pine nuts, 1 oz raisins and 2 tablespoons of 2 tbsp toasted sesame oil. Leave for 20 minutes so the rice absorbs the seasoning.
Step 5: Steam it again in the cloth-lined basket over a medium-high heat for 30–40 minutes, until the rice is dark, sticky and completely tender when you bite a grain.
35 minStep 6: Stir in the rest of 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil, press the rice firmly into an oiled 20 cm square tin and leave to cool for 30 minutes.
Step 7: Turn out and cut into squares. Wrap each piece in cling film; it keeps for 2 days at room temperature, or freeze it and steam briefly to soften.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 70 g
- Fat
- 6 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does yaksik take?
- About 95 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 75 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.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of glutinous rice?
- Any long-grain rice, same amount.
- What can I use instead of dark brown sugar?
- White sugar + 1 tbsp molasses or treacle per 200g.
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