Learn to make Korean candy rice dessert – Yaksik (Yakbap)!
What’s Yaksik (Yakbap)
Right this moment, I’m introducing a Korean dish often known as Yaksik, or Yakshik (약식), additionally known as Yakbap (약밥). This interprets to ‘medicinal meals’, owing to its key ingredient – honey. In historical Korea, honey was not only a sweetener however was revered for its medicinal properties.
Yaksik holds a particular place in Korean tradition and custom. It’s sometimes ready for the primary full moon of the New 12 months, as per the lunar calendar, an event often known as Jeongwol Daeboreum (정월대보름). However its reputation extends past this occasion. It’s usually served throughout different festive events like Korean New 12 months’s Day (Seollal), the Korean Harvest Competition (Chuseok), at marriage ceremony receptions, and even at sixtieth birthday events.
For me, Yaksik is greater than only a conventional dish; it brings again fond reminiscences of my childhood, making it one in every of my favourite Korean desserts. Its versatile nature additionally makes it good for on-the-go breakfasts, snacks, and even as a considerate reward. I encourage you to strive making this pleasant dish at residence and expertise a style of Korean custom.
What’s in Yaksik
As recommended by the prolonged title of this publish, the star elements embrace candy rice (particularly brief grain glutinous rice), an assortment of dried fruits (for example, jujubes and raisins or sultanas), and quite a lot of nuts (resembling chestnuts and pine nuts).
Nevertheless, up to date variations have expanded to incorporate different dried fruits and nuts resembling cranberries, pecans, walnuts, and sunflower seeds.
The sauce provides depth to the dish, combining the sweetness of honey and darkish brown sugar, the umami of soy sauce, the heat of cinnamon powder, and the distinctive nutty taste of sesame oil.
The result’s a dish with a delicate, sticky texture with the candy and barely salty taste, enriched with wholesome dried fruit and nuts. The aroma from the sesame oil provides a marvellous, heavenly sensation to the general expertise as effectively.
I’ve to warn you, although: in case you aren’t accustomed to this sort of Korean or Asian dessert, it may not be an prompt favourite. Nevertheless, give it a while – it has a approach of rising on you fairly rapidly. Solely time will inform. 🙂 Regardless, I hope you take pleasure in this candy deal with!
Observe
- The recipe under was examined with a Cuckoo rice cooker and an Prompt Pot, providing a shortcut for making Yaksik. You should use any programmable stress cookers you might have, or perhaps a stovetop-based stress cooker. The standard technique, utilizing a steamer, can take 7-10 hours of prepping and cooking time. Relaxation assured, my recipe model tastes simply nearly as good as the standard technique! 🙂
- The form of Yaksik might be spherical or sq.; it doesn’t need to be rectangular. You may even use any form of cookie cutter (e.g., coronary heart) to create your favourite Yaksik shapes. Nevertheless, on this case, ornament needs to be achieved after the slicing.
- Whereas Yaksik might be consumed chilly (straight from the fridge), it tastes higher if unnoticed at room temperature for 20 to half-hour to melt a bit. If it has been stored within the freezer, you’ll be able to thaw it in a single day within the fridge or use a microwave to reheat it.
- Should you favor a softer and stickier texture on your Yaksik, I like to recommend soaking the rice for an hour earlier than cooking.
Substances for Yaksik (Yakbap)
Predominant
- 3 cups* candy rice (brief grain glutinous rice)
- 2 cups* water
- 2 Tbsp pine nuts
- 15 chestnuts (about 120g, 4.2 ounces) – pores and skin peeled and minimize into 3 or 4 smaller items (I used frozen ones, which can be found from a Korean grocery retailer. You should use contemporary ones if you may get them. A tinned model can be out there from Korean grocery shops.)
- 1/4 cup raisins or sultanas
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
- 10 dried pitted jujubes (purple dates) – rinsed and halved
Seasoning Sauce
Ornament (Optionally available)
- 1 Tbsp pine nuts
- 2 to three dried pitted jujubes – vertically slice the jujube from the highest, slicing solely midway down its radius; then roll it up and thinly slice it.
Measurement
- 1 cup* = 180 ml (utilizing rice measuring cup). That is equal to three/4 normal measuring cup.
- 1 Tbsp = 15 ml, 1/3 cup = 80 ml, 1/4 cup = 60 ml
The best way to Make Yaksik (Yakbap)
1. Mix the seasoning sauce elements in a bowl and blend them effectively.
2. Rinse the candy rice below chilly operating water a few instances till the water runs clear. Drain the water and permit the rice to take a seat within the sieve for 10 to twenty minutes to make sure it’s absolutely drained.
3. Add the candy rice, the water and the seasoning sauce into the rice cooker pot or Prompt Pot and blend them effectively.
4. Add the nuts and dried fruit on high. Stir the elements completely to make sure they’re evenly distributed all through the pot.
5. (For Rice Cooker) Set the “multi steam” operate for 35 minutes and prepare dinner. – That is based mostly on my cuckoo rice cooker setting. (For Prompt Pot) Choose the ‘rice’ setting and set it to ‘excessive stress’. Be sure that the steam launch deal with is within the ‘sealing’ place. The Prompt Pot will routinely alter the cooking period. Upon completion of the cooking cycle (roughly 20 minutes), cautiously shift the steam launch deal with from ‘sealing’ to ‘venting’.
6. Put together a medium-sized sq. or rectangular container for molding. I used a Pyrex container, however a baking tray works effectively too. Optionally, you’ll be able to cowl the mould with cling wrap to make it simpler to take away the rice later. As soon as every little thing is cooked, gently stir and blend the rice, dried fruit, and nuts utilizing a rice scoop. Then, switch the rice combination into your ready mould. Press this combination down firmly to verify it’s packed tightly. Lastly, enable the rice to chill within the mould for 20 to half-hour.
7. Tip the mould over the slicing board or gently carry the cling wrap to launch the yaksik. If you want, you’ll be able to garnish the yaksik with pine nuts and sliced jujube, spacing them out generously. (Ornament is non-compulsory. Earlier than you begin adorning, envision the scale of every minimize portion to make sure there may be sufficient room for each ornament and slicing. Should you plan to make smaller meals parts, you’ll must spend extra time on ornament.)
8. Slice the yaksik into your most well-liked measurement. (Should you embellished, that may affect the scale.)
9. Serve the yaksik. If not consuming instantly, wrap each bit individually in meals wrap, retailer them in a container, and refrigerate it for a couple of days or freeze it for up to a couple months.
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Seasoning sauce (combine these in a bowl)
Ornament (variety of required elements will differ relying on the scale of every bar piece.)
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Mix the seasoning sauce elements in a bowl and blend them effectively.
-
Rinse the candy rice below chilly operating water a few instances till the water runs clear. Drain the water and permit the rice to take a seat within the sieve for 10 to twenty minutes to make sure it is absolutely drained.
-
Add the candy rice, the water and the seasoning sauce into the rice cooker or multi cooker pot and blend them effectively.
-
Add the nuts and dried fruit on high. Combine them effectively to verify these are evenly unfold within the pot.
-
(For Rice Cooker) Set the “multi steam” operate for 35 minutes and prepare dinner. – That is based mostly on my cuckoo rice cooker setting. (For Prompt Pot) Choose the ‘rice’ setting and set it to ‘excessive stress’. Be sure that the steam launch deal with is within the ‘sealing’ place. The Prompt Pot will routinely alter the cooking period. Upon completion of the cooking cycle (roughly 20 minutes), cautiously shift the steam launch deal with from ‘sealing’ to ‘venting’.
-
Put together a medium-sized sq. or rectangular container for molding. I used a Pyrex container, however a baking tray works effectively too. Optionally, you’ll be able to cowl the mould with cling wrap to make it simpler to take away the rice later. As soon as every little thing is cooked, gently stir and blend the rice, dried fruit, and nuts utilizing a rice scoop. Then, switch the rice combination into your ready mould. Press this combination down firmly to verify it is packed tightly. Lastly, enable the rice to chill within the mould for 20 to half-hour.
-
Tip the mould over the slicing board or gently carry the cling wrap to launch the yaksik. If you want, you’ll be able to garnish the yaksik with pine nuts and sliced jujube, spacing them out generously. (Ornament is non-compulsory. Earlier than you begin adorning, envision the scale of every minimize portion to make sure there may be sufficient room for each ornament and slicing. Should you plan to make smaller meals parts, you will must spend extra time on ornament.)
-
Slice the yaksik into your most well-liked measurement. (Should you embellished, that may affect the scale.)
-
Serve the yaksik. If not consuming instantly, wrap each bit individually in meals wrap, retailer them in a container, and refrigerate it for a couple of days or freeze it for up to a couple months.
- 1 cup* = 180 ml (utilizing rice measuring cup). That is equal to three/4 normal measuring cup.
- 1 Tbsp = 15 ml, 1/3 cup = 80 ml, 1/4 cup = 60 ml
Energy: 439kcal | Carbohydrates: 89g | Protein: 6g | Fats: 7g | Saturated Fats: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fats: 3g | Monounsaturated Fats: 2g | Sodium: 151mg | Potassium: 208mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 5IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 24mg | Iron: 1mg
The vitamin data proven is an estimate offered by a web based vitamin calculator. It shouldn’t be thought-about an alternative to an expert nutritionist’s recommendation.
