Injeolmi

Injeolmi (Korean Sweet Rice Cake with Soybean Powder)

Injeolmi is a chewy, freshly pounded Korean rice cake coated in roasted soybean powder, prized for its warm, nutty aroma and satisfying mochi-like bounce. It belongs to the tteok tradition of South Korea and is traditionally enjoyed just after pounding, when the steam still rises and the texture is at its tender best.

Prep

15 min

Cook

60 min

Total

75 min

Serves

6

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •300 g (10½ oz / 1½ cups) sweet rice flour (chapssal-garu), Korean sweet rice flour, or short-grain glutinous rice finely ground
• •100 g (3½ oz) roasted soybean powder (kong-garu), Roasted yellow soybeans finely ground; toasted in a dry pan if starting from whole beans
• •30 g (2 Tbsp) sugar, adjust to taste; injeolmi is only mildly sweet
• •1 g (¼ tsp) fine sea salt
• •350 ml (1½ cups) water, lukewarm, for mixing the dough
• •10 g (2 tsp) neutral oil, for oiling hands and work surface so the dough does not stick

Steps

1. 1 Lightly oil a large mixing bowl, a wooden spoon, a flat surface (a large cutting board or stone slab), and your hands. Have the soybean powder ready in a wide, shallow bowl. Traditional pounding uses a wooden mallet (jeolgu) and andu (a wooden mortar and pestle shaped for tteok); a heavy wooden rolling pin and a sturdy bowl work as a home substitute, though texture will be slightly less airy.
2. 2 In the oiled bowl, combine the sweet rice flour, sugar, and salt. Slowly pour in the 350 ml of lukewarm water while mixing with the oiled wooden spoon until no dry pockets remain. The mixture should look like wet sand, not a smooth batter.
3. 3 Set up a steamer over about 5 cm of water and bring it to a rolling boil. Spread the rice mixture in a heatproof dish (a pie plate or shallow metal bowl works) in a layer about 3 cm thick; poke a few holes so steam penetrates. Cover with a cloth lid or a lid wrapped in a kitchen towel to prevent condensation from dripping onto the surface.
4. 4 Steam on high heat for 35–40 minutes, stirring once at the 20-minute mark with an oiled spoon to break up the gummy mass, then smooth it back evenly. The dough is done when it is completely translucent, glossy, and holds together as a stretchy, sticky lump; there should be no white, starchy streaks when you tear off a small piece.
5. 5 Turn the hot dough out onto the oiled flat surface. Dust the surface and your hands with about 2 tablespoons of the soybean powder. Using the oiled rolling pin (or a sturdy wooden pin), flatten the dough gently to about 2 cm thick. Fold it in half, dusting with more soybean powder if it sticks, then flatten again. Repeat the fold-and-flatten rhythm 4–6 times, the traditional way of 'pounding' it at home; this gives the classic layered, chewy interior.
6. 6 Dust the top of the dough and the rolling pin with soybean powder and roll the dough out to roughly 2 cm thick. Spread a generous layer of the remaining soybean powder over the top.
7. 7 With an oiled knife or a dough scraper, cut the slab into bite-sized pieces about 3 × 3 cm. Toss each piece individually in the soybean powder so all sides are coated and the pieces no longer stick together.
8. 8 Serve warm, the way it is eaten in Korea, in small bowls or stacked on a plate. Injeolmi is best within a few hours of pounding; leftover pieces can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 day and refreshed briefly in a steamer or microwave before dusting again with soybean powder.