Injeolmi

Method

1. Spread about half the soybean coating mixture evenly over a sheet pan or large plate. This is where the hot dough lands once it’s cooked, so have it ready before you start.
2. In a large microwave-safe bowl, whisk the glutinous rice flour, sugar, and salt together. Pour in the hot water and stir until you have a smooth, thick batter with no dry pockets of flour left.
3. Cover loosely (a microwave-safe plate or vented cling film works) and microwave on high for 2 minutes. Stir well, folding the cooked edges into the wetter centre. Microwave for another 2 minutes, stir again, then microwave a final 1 minute. The dough is ready when it turns glossy and translucent and pulls together into a single stretchy mass, with no floury white patches left anywhere.
4. Scrape the hot dough into a sturdy food-safe plastic bag, a large freezer bag works well, or straight onto the soybean-dusted pan. Working through the bag, or with your hands well oiled or wetted with cold water, knead and pound the dough for 3 to 5 minutes until it turns smooth, glossy, and elastic, and stretches without tearing when you pull it. This kneading is what gives injeolmi its bounce, so don’t shortcut it, and mind that the dough is still very hot at this stage.
5. Turn the dough out onto the soybean-dusted pan and press or roll it into an even slab about 2 cm thick, dusting the top generously with more of the soybean coating so it doesn’t stick to your hands or the rolling pin.
6. Cut into bite-sized pieces, roughly 3 cm squares, using a knife or kitchen scissors wiped or oiled between cuts. A dry blade drags and tears the dough instead of slicing it cleanly.
7. Toss each piece in the remaining soybean coating until every cut side is covered, tapping off the excess. Let the pieces sit at room temperature for about 1 hour before eating: the texture firms up and the classic chew develops as they cool.

Notes

• Roasted soybean powder (konggaru, 콩가루) is the ingredient injeolmi is named for, and there’s no good flavour-equivalent substitute: it’s toasted, nutty, and faintly sweet in a way nothing else in a German kitchen replicates. It’s genuinely hard to find outside a Korean grocer or a well-stocked Asian supermarket in Germany. Look for it labelled “roasted soybean powder” or “콩가루,” in person at a Korean grocer or ordered online, rather than trying to substitute your way around it.
• Japanese kinako (きなこ) is much easier to find in Germany, since Japanese pantry staples are more widely stocked at general Asian grocers and online than Korean ones. Kinako is also roasted soybean powder and works here in a pinch, though it’s typically ground finer and roasted a shade lighter than Korean konggaru, so the flavour lands slightly less deep and toasty. If kinako is what you can get, use it: a lighter injeolmi beats no injeolmi.
• Injeolmi dries out and firms up fast once cut and coated. It’s best eaten within a few hours, and definitely the same day it’s made. If you must hold it, wrap it tightly at room temperature and microwave each piece for 10 to 15 seconds before serving to loosen it back up.
• Steaming instead of microwaving gives a slightly softer, bouncier result that holds its texture longer, if you have a steamer set up for it: steam the batter, covered, over simmering water for about 20 minutes, until no raw, powdery white spots remain, then knead as in step 4.
• Keep your hands, knife, and work surface either well oiled or wetted with cold water throughout. The dough is aggressively sticky until it’s fully coated, and dry hands will lose that fight.

Sources Consulted

• My Korean Kitchen, “Injeolmi Recipe (Korean Rice Cake with Soybean Powder)”
• Kimchimari, “Injeolmi (Korean Sweet Rice Cake) in 10 minutes”
• Honest Food Talks, “Injeolmi Recipe: Korean Soybean Powder Rice Cakes”
• Korea.net, “Korean recipes: injeolmi pounded rice cake”