I was always partial to rice cakes while living in Korea. Injeolmi (μΈμ λ―Έ) is not a naturally sweet rice cake, and the dusting of roasted soybean powder lends a nice, savory note. Injeolmi is fantastic by itself as a snack, or roasted and drizzled with a little honey. I will not pretend that living in Korea (for ~4 years) made me an expert in their fantastic rice cakes, but this version hits the spot when the craving strikes. Also, using glutinous rice flour and a microwave means I can have these on the table almost immediately. And craving to reality in about 10 minutes flat is a beautiful thing.
Injeolmi – Korean Rice Cakes with Roasted Soybean Powder
Course: On-the-Go, SnacksCuisine: KoreanDifficulty: Easy8
servings5
minutes5
minutesInjeolmi is a delightful Korean rice cake dusted with savory roasted soybean powder. Enjoy with a nice cup of tea (or beverage of your choice).
Ingredients
180 g (~1.5 cups) glutinous rice flour
Note: If using cup measurements, I recommend lightly spooning the flour into your 1 cup measure, not packing it.24-48 g sugar (2-4 Tbs), to taste
With 2 Tbs, there is only the faintest hint of sweetness, so add more if you would like these a bit sweeter.1/4 tsp salt
240 g (1 cup) hot water
- Powder Options to Dust the Rice Cakes
Roasted soybean powder (λ³Άμ 콩κ°λ£¨), a few Tbs to roll the rice cakes in
Peanut powder, a few Tbs to roll the rice cakes in
Directions
- In a large microwave-safe bowl, mix together the glutinous rice flour (important to useΒ glutinousΒ rice flour!!), sugar, and salt.Β
- Warm water on the stovetop or microwave until hot, but not boiling. Pour into the glutinous rice flour mixture and stir well. Your rice cake batter will look something like this:
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and pierce a couple holes. Microwave for 2 minutes and 30 seconds. While microwaving, add whichever powder you are using to a clean bowl or plate. If you are using multiple powders, put them in separate bowls, or even consider the (wild and crazy) idea of making your own powder blend.
- Remove from the microwave, being careful to not burn yourself. The batter should have risen and no longer look liquid-y. If this has not happened yet, stir it and microwave for an additional ~1 minute. Dump the cooked rice cake batter into the bowl with the powder, or divide it in half if you are using both powders.
- Are you ready for the best part? Time to play with food and reminisce about the good ol’ Play-Doh days! Again being careful to not burn yourself (as in, wait a couple minutes if it is too hot to handle), break the cooked batter up into pieces. Shape it to your heart’s content, rolling it in the powder to coat. Note: Injeolmi are more traditionally in a sort of rectangular shape. But that would mean shaping it into a block and then cutting it into pieces using a knife. Although that may be prettier, I do not find it as fun. So, I make irregular circular shapes that are perhaps less beautiful – but it’s worth it to me for the shaping experience, aka playing with food.
- Once coated, they are ready to serve! We also freeze extras for later. Pull frozen injeolmi out and let briefly thaw before eating. Often, we roast them first because that boosts the savory flavor and gives a nice crispy exterior but super soft, chewy interior.
Notes
- These go very well with a cup of tea. If you are not a tea person…I guess we can’t be friends, but do feel free to enjoy with coffee or another beverage of your choice.
- Try dipping in a sauce of honey and chopped nuts and/or seeds. For extra textural contrast, roast injeolmi first, then drizzle with honey or dip in a honey sauce.
- Roasted soybean powder is delightful, and you can purchase it online if you don’t have it in a nearby store. Please not that something like chickpea flour is a raw product and should be cooked before eating, so you should not substitute uncooked bean flours for roasted bean flours.
- Make injeolmi waffles!
In the joy and excitement of playing with food, I did not stay focused on details like uniformity. The massive injeolmi are non-traditional and coated in peanut powder. The smaller ones are coated in the traditional roasted soybean powder. Perhaps most importantly though, both are delicious.
Make extra to enjoy injeolmi waffles later, and check out these baked Korean rice cakes, too!
