Injeolmi
Soybean-coated rice cake
인절미 · pounded sticky rice cake in roasted soybean powder
Injeolmi is the rice cake you meet everywhere in Korea, from the tteok shop by a Seoul subway exit to the trays handed round at weddings, Chuseok and housewarmings. Glutinous rice is steamed, pounded until it stretches like soft taffy, then cut into pillows and rolled in nutty, sweet roasted soybean powder. Bingsu cafés now pile it on shaved ice too. The common mistake is under-steaming the dough, which leaves powdery white specks that never turn chewy; keep cooking until it is evenly translucent. 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: oil the knife and your hands, and cut the warm slab with a dough scraper pressed straight down rather than a sawing knife.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the rice cake
- 1 ⅛ lb wet-milled glutinous rice flourfrozen Korean chapssal garu, thawed, or 250 g dry glutinous rice flour plus 30 ml extra water
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 4 tbsp water
- 1 tsp neutral oilfor your hands and knife
For the coating
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Rub 1 ⅛ lb wet-milled glutinous rice flour, ½ tsp salt and 2 tbsp sugar together, then sprinkle over 4 tbsp water and mix with your fingertips until it clumps when squeezed.
5 minStep 2: Line a steamer basket with a damp cloth, spread the mixture over loosely and steam over a high heat for 25 minutes. Fold the dough over with a wet spatula halfway through so it cooks evenly. It is done when it is shiny and translucent with no white patches.
25 minStep 3: Tip the hot dough into a large bowl. Wet a wooden pestle or rolling pin in salted water and pound and fold the dough for 5 minutes until it is smooth and stretchy. (A stand mixer with the dough hook also works.)
5 minStep 4: Mix 2 ⅛ oz roasted soybean powder (konggaru), 1 tbsp sugar and 1 pinch salt on a tray and spread half of it out.
Step 5: Turn the dough onto the powder, dust the top with more and pat it into a slab about 2 cm thick.
Step 6: With an oiled scraper (use 1 tsp neutral oil), cut into 3 cm pieces and roll each one in the remaining powder. Eat the same day, or freeze and thaw at room temperature.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 260 kcal
- Protein
- 8 g
- Carbs
- 50 g
- Fat
- 3 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does injeolmi take?
- About 45 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 30 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.
- 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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