Injeolmi is a type of Korean treats that quietly grows on you, smooth and coated in nutty soybean powder that feels extra comforting than candy. It’s a rice cake carefully tied to Korean traditions and on a regular basis life, the sort you eat slowly and revel in for its delicate taste and delicate chew.

What’s Injeolmi

Injeolmi (인절미) is a smooth, chewy Korean rice cake constituted of smooth, chewy glutinous rice and generously coated in nutty, barely savory soybean powder referred to as konggaru. In Korea, injeolmi is usually made to have fun significant moments like birthdays, ancestral rites, or particular household gatherings.

It’s not flashy or brightly coloured like another tteok. As an alternative, it’s calm and understated, with an earthy aroma from the roasted soybean powder. I nonetheless keep in mind feeling extremely thirsty after consuming injeolmi as a baby, that dry, nutty coating virtually demanding a sip of water or sikhye proper after.

What makes injeolmi particular is its texture. Freshly made, it’s extremely smooth and stretchy, with a mild chew that softens shortly within the mouth. The soybean powder clings to the rice cake, including a nutty richness and simply sufficient saltiness to steadiness the pure sweetness of the rice. With none heavy sugariness, injeolmi is usually seen as extra of a grown-up deal with, interesting extra to grownup tastes than to children on the lookout for one thing candy, colourful, or immediately gratifying.

Up to now, injeolmi was loved as a standalone rice cake. Nowadays, you would possibly see injeolmi flavors pop up in every single place, from lattes to toast to bingsu.

Elements

For the dough

• 180 g (6.35 oz) candy rice flour (glutinous rice flour), about 1 cup + 2 tablespoons
• 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp tremendous salt
• 185 ml (6.25 fl oz) sizzling water, about 3/4 cup (for making the dough)

For the soybean coating

* 1 Tbsp = 15ml, 1 Cup = 250ml

Tips on how to Make Injeolmi

1. Make the dough:
In a big mixing bowl, mix the candy rice flour, sugar, and salt. Progressively add sizzling water a bit at a time, mixing as you go. Don’t pour all of the water in without delay, including it slowly helps you management the dough’s texture and prevents it from changing into too moist. The combination appears to be like evenly moistened and barely thick, like a free batter.

2. Steam the rice cake:
Line your steamer with a silicone mat or steamer material (this makes it a lot simpler to take away later). Unfold the dough evenly within the steamer fairly than leaving it in a single thick mass. As soon as the water begins boiling, start steaming. Steam till no white, powdery spots stay on the floor, about 20 minutes. The dough ought to look shiny and translucent when absolutely cooked.

3. Season the soybean powder
Whereas the rice cake is steaming, in a small bowl, mix the roasted soybean powder with the sugar and salt. Combine properly till evenly mixed, then put aside.

4. Pound and Knead the dough:
As soon as the combination comes collectively, switch it to a food-safe, sturdy plastic bag (similar to a freezer bag). Knead and pound it by hand till clean and elastic, about 3 to five minutes. Working the dough within the plastic bag makes it simpler to knead and pound, because it gained’t persist with the board or your palms.

5. Coat with soybean powder:
Flippantly mud a sheet pan with roasted soybean powder. Rigorously take away the steamed rice cake from the plastic bag and place it on the sheet pan. Whereas nonetheless heat, gently flatten and form it to your required thickness. Coat it generously with the soybean powder, then minimize into bite-sized items, tossing every bit in additional powder as you go.

6. Cool earlier than serving:
The rice desserts might really feel barely smooth and sticky at first. For one of the best texture, allow them to cool at room temperature for about 1 hour earlier than consuming. This resting time permits the rice cake to develop its ultimate chewiness.

Ideas for Making Gentle Injeolmi

• You need to use the microwave to “steam” the dough, however injeolmi made in a pot steamer offers significantly better outcomes. Steaming cooks the dough gently and evenly, leading to a rice cake that’s softer, bouncier, and chewier, with that signature injeolmi texture that stays tender longer as an alternative of drying out.
• The rice cake may be stored at room temperature for as much as 24 hours in an hermetic container. For longer storage, freeze it in an hermetic container. When able to eat, thaw it within the fridge, then microwave for about 5 to 10 seconds. This temporary reheating helps restore the smooth, freshly made texture with out drying it out.

Different Korean Rice Muffins You May Like

For those who loved making injeolmi, you may also like these different Korean rice desserts, every providing totally different textures and flavors to discover.

• Gyeongdan – Small, bite-sized rice desserts which might be smooth and chewy, typically coated in colourful powders. They’re easy, calmly candy, and excellent once you need only a small style of tteok.
• Songpyeon – A conventional half-moon formed rice cake made for Chuseok, crammed with candy components, and steamed over pine needles. It’s extra about custom and symbolism.
• Chapssaltteok – A chewy glutinous rice cake with a smooth, candy crimson bean filling inside. It’s much like injeolmi, however with a filling inside.

• Make the dough: In a big mixing bowl, mix the candy rice flour, sugar, and salt. Progressively add sizzling water a bit at a time, mixing as you go. Don’t pour all of the water in without delay, including it slowly helps you management the dough’s texture and prevents it from changing into too moist. The combination appears to be like evenly moistened and barely thick, like a free batter.

• Steam the rice cake: Line your steamer with a silicone mat or steamer material (this makes it a lot simpler to take away later). Unfold the dough evenly within the steamer fairly than leaving it in a single thick mass. As soon as the water begins boiling, start steaming. Steam till no white, powdery spots stay on the floor, about 20 minutes. The dough ought to look shiny and translucent when absolutely cooked.

• Season the soybean powder: Whereas the rice cake is steaming, in a small bowl, mix the roasted soybean powder with the sugar and salt. Combine properly till evenly mixed, then put aside.

• Pound and Knead the dough: As soon as the combination comes collectively, switch it to a food-safe, sturdy plastic bag (similar to a freezer bag). Knead and pound it by hand till clean and elastic, about 3 to five minutes. Working the dough within the plastic bag makes it simpler to knead and pound, because it gained’t persist with the board or your palms.

• Coat with soybean powder: Flippantly mud a sheet pan with roasted soybean powder. Rigorously take away the steamed rice cake from the plastic bag and place it on the sheet pan. Whereas nonetheless heat, gently flatten and form it to your required thickness. Coat it generously with the soybean powder, then minimize into bite-sized items, tossing every bit in additional powder as you go.

• Cool earlier than serving: The rice desserts might really feel barely smooth and sticky at first. For one of the best texture, allow them to cool at room temperature for about 1 hour earlier than consuming. This resting time permits the rice cake to develop its ultimate chewiness.

• 1 Tbsp = 15ml, 1 Cup = 250ml

Energy: 46kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 1g | Fats: 1g | Saturated Fats: 0.1g | Polyunsaturated Fats: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fats: 0.1g | Sodium: 59mg | Potassium: 57mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 2IU | Calcium: 5mg | Iron: 0.2mg

The diet data proven is an estimate offered by a web-based diet calculator. It shouldn’t be thought-about an alternative to knowledgeable nutritionist’s recommendation.

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