Five-Color Songpyeon (Half-Moon Rice Cakes) with Sesame and Chestnut
Songpyeon colored naturally with vegetable powders, filled with nutty sesame and sweet chestnut fillings, and steamed.
Translated from Korean by AI and not yet checked by a native speaker. Amounts and numbers are taken directly from the original recipe. Read the Korean original →
These holiday rice cakes are naturally colored with powders like green tea and gardenia seed. Filled generously with nutty roasted, crushed sesame filling and sweet chestnut filling, they let you enjoy two delicious flavors. You must knead the dough with boiling water so it comes together chewy without crumbling.
- Servings
- about 3–4 servings
- Cook time
- 25 minprep not included
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Spiciness
- Not spicy
Ingredients
Ingredients
- Rice flour2 cups
- Hot water3-4 tbsp (green tea powder, gardenia seed powder, etc.)
Sesame Filling
- Sesame seeds1 cup
- Sugar4 tbsp
- Salta little
- Honey1 tbsp
Chestnut Filling
- Chestnuts10
- Sugar2 tbsp
- Salta little
- The honey is added to keep the sesame powder from flying around, so if you do not have any, you can add a little water instead.
- Adjust the amount of water depending on the moisture level of your rice flour.
Steps
Sesame filling is the most common kind, but I made a chestnut filling as well.
For the sesame filling, toasting the sesame seeds lightly in a pan makes them even nuttier.
Grind them briefly in a blender. If you grind them too fine, they lose their pleasant bite, which is not as nice.
Add 4 tbsp sugar and 1 tbsp honey to the ground sesame seeds and mix.
You may add more sugar to taste.
The honey is added to keep the sesame powder from scattering, so if you do not have it, you can add a little water instead.
Microwave the chestnuts for about 5 minutes until cooked through,
then roughly mash them. Mix in 2 tbsp sugar and a little salt.
I mixed the coloring powders into the water.
You need 3-4 tbsp water per 2 cups of flour, but adjust depending on the moisture level of your rice flour.
Here are the doughs sifted and kneaded with boiling water.
If you do not knead with boiling water, the dough will not come together and will fall apart.
My family felt playful and shaped them into funny shapes like playing with clay.
I told them to shape them neatly since I would be posting them on the blog, but...
I was worried there would hardly be any decent ones to show.
Line a steamer with pine needles, and once the water boils and steam rises, add the songpyeon and steam for about 20 minutes.
Check halfway through to see if they are done and adjust the time.
Coat the cooked songpyeon with toasted sesame oil. This prevents them from sticking to each other.
Here are a few neat ones.
Now that they are steamed, the colors look so pretty.
Ppunwife's tips
- Be sure to knead the songpyeon dough with hot water.
- If you do not knead with boiling water, the dough will not come together and will crumble apart.
- Coat the cooked songpyeon with toasted sesame oil. This prevents them from sticking together.
FAQ
Can I use cold water to make the dough?
Rice flour dough must be kneaded with boiling water so it binds together; otherwise, the dough will scatter and fall apart.
What can I substitute if I don't have honey for the sesame filling?
It is added to keep the sesame powder from scattering, so you can mix in a small amount of water instead.
How do I keep the steamed songpyeon from sticking together?
Once taken out of the steamer, coating the surface of the cooked songpyeon evenly with toasted sesame oil keeps the rice cakes from sticking to one another.
