A creamy sweet rice pudding finished with toasted soybean powder, inspired by injeolmi rice cakes.
Injeolmi is a beloved Korean rice cake coated in toasted soybean powder (injeolmi-garu), prized for its nutty, slightly sweet flavor and soft, chewy texture. This pudding takes that same soybean-powder flavor and applies it to a creamy rice pudding, made by slowly simmering short-grain rice in milk until it turns thick and porridge-like, then finishing with a generous dusting of the toasted soybean powder just like you'd see on the rice cake itself.\n\nThe technique that matters most is patience with the simmer — the rice needs to cook low and slow, stirred often, so the starch releases gradually and thickens the milk into a silky pudding rather than a grainy one. Toasting the soybean powder briefly in a dry pan before serving (if it isn't already roasted) brings out its nuttiness the same way toasting nuts does.\n\nServe warm or chilled with an extra dusting of soybean powder and a drizzle of honey — it's a comforting, not-too-sweet dessert that leans on toasted, nutty flavor rather than sugar.
Serves 4
Combine rinsed rice, milk, sugar and salt in a heavy-bottomed pot. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring every few minutes, for 30-35 minutes until the rice is tender and the mixture has thickened to a loose porridge consistency.
Keep the heat low enough that the milk barely bubbles — a hard simmer will scald the milk on the bottom of the pot and give the pudding a burnt taste.
Stir in vanilla extract and cook 2 more minutes. The pudding will continue to thicken slightly as it cools, so remove it from heat while it's still a bit looser than you want the final texture.
Spoon into bowls warm, or chill for at least 2 hours for a firmer, custard-like texture. Dust generously with soybean powder and drizzle with honey right before serving.
Stir the pot every few minutes throughout the whole simmer — rice pudding scorches on the bottom fast if left unattended even for 5 minutes.
If your soybean powder isn't pre-toasted, toast it in a dry skillet over low heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly, until fragrant.
The pudding thickens more as it cools, so pull it off the heat slightly looser than you want the final texture to be.
Add a few pieces of chestnut or jujube while simmering for a more traditional Korean dessert flavor.
Use coconut milk instead of half the dairy milk for a dairy-light, slightly sweeter version.
Serve cold with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and extra soybean powder for a modern dessert plate.
Refrigerate covered for up to 4 days; the pudding will thicken further as it chills. Loosen with a splash of milk when reheating gently on the stove or in the microwave.
Injeolmi is a glutinous rice cake coated in roasted soybean or sesame powder, traditionally made by pounding steamed sweet rice and documented in Korean cuisine for centuries as a festive and ceremonial food. This pudding borrows its signature soybean-powder flavor and applies it to a Western-style rice pudding format for an easier home dessert.
Korean grocery stores and many Asian markets carry it pre-roasted in the baking or rice cake section; it's sometimes labeled simply as roasted soybean flour.
That usually means the heat was too high and the rice cooked too fast — a slower, gentler simmer with frequent stirring gives the starch time to release evenly.
Yes, oat milk or a full-fat coconut milk both work well, though the pudding may take slightly longer to thicken than with dairy milk.
Per serving (260g / 9.2 oz) · 4 servings total
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