Korean Rice Cake Dessert (Injeolmi)

About This Recipe

Injeolmi are soft, chewy rice cakes made by steaming and then pounding glutinous rice until it turns smooth and elastic, traditionally coated generously in injeolmi-garu, a sweet, toasted soybean flour. It's a dessert defined entirely by its texture — a satisfying chew paired with a nutty, slightly sweet coating. The pounding step, traditionally done with a mallet in a large mortar, is what develops the rice's characteristic stretchy texture; without enough pounding, the rice cakes stay grainy rather than becoming smooth and cohesive.

Ingredients

Serves 8

• 2 cupsglutinous rice flour
• 0.5 tspfine sea salt
• 1 cupwater
• 2 tbspsugar
• 1 cuproasted soybean powder (injeolmi-garu)
• 0.25 cupsugar(mixed into the soybean powder)

Instructions

1. 1

   Mix the dough

   Combine glutinous rice flour, salt, water, and sugar into a smooth, thick batter.

2. 2

   Steam the rice cake

   Pour the batter into a heatproof dish and steam over boiling water for 20-25 minutes until fully translucent and set.

3. 3

   Knead while hot

   While still hot, transfer to a lightly oiled surface and knead vigorously for 5-8 minutes until smooth, stretchy, and elastic.

   Wear food-safe gloves or use a spatula — the rice cake is very hot and sticky at this stage.

4. 4

   Prepare the coating

   Mix roasted soybean powder with sugar in a wide dish.

5. 5

   Shape and coat

   While the rice cake is still warm and pliable, cut into small rectangles and roll each piece thoroughly in the soybean powder mixture.

6. 6

   Serve

   Serve at room temperature, generously coated in the soybean powder.

Variations

• •

  Add mugwort powder to the dough for a green-tinted, herbal variation called ssuk injeolmi.

• •

  Fill the rice cakes with sweetened red bean paste before coating for extra richness.

• •

  Use black sesame powder instead of soybean powder for a different nutty coating.

Storage

Store at room temperature in an airtight container for 1 day, or refrigerate for up to 3 days; the texture firms up when cold, so let it come to room temperature before serving.

Frequently Asked Questions