Yaksik (Korean sweet rice cake)
Units
Temperature
Servings
Ingredients
Rice
- 600 g glutinous (sweet) rice, rinsed until the water runs clear rounded
Seasoning
- 45 ml soy sauce rounded
- 165 g dark brown sugar, packed rounded
- 65 g honey rounded
- 45 ml toasted sesame oil rounded
- 1 g ground cinnamon, optional, for warmth (optional) rounded
- 1 g fine salt rounded
Fruit and nuts
- 18 peeled chestnuts, quartered; vacuum-packed or roasted and peeled chestnuts both work rounded
- 15 dried jujubes (Korean red dates), pitted and quartered, or substitute regular dried dates, see Notes rounded
- 20 g pine nuts, lightly toasted rounded
Method
Method
- Rinse the glutinous rice in several changes of water until it runs clear, then cover with plenty of cold water and soak for 1 hour. Drain well.
- Line a steamer basket with a clean piece of cheesecloth or a heatproof cotton cloth and spread the drained rice out in an even layer. Set over a pot of simmering water, cover, and steam for 25 to 30 minutes, until the grains are tender and translucent but still a little chewy at the core.
- While the rice steams, whisk the soy sauce, brown sugar, honey, sesame oil, cinnamon (if using), and salt together in a small bowl until the sugar has mostly dissolved.
- Tip the hot steamed rice into a large bowl. Pour the seasoning mixture over it and mix gently but thoroughly with a rice paddle or spatula, folding rather than stirring hard, so the grains stay separate instead of turning gluey. Fold in the chestnuts, jujubes, and pine nuts.
- Lightly oil a 20 cm square dish and press the seasoned rice into it in an even layer. Cover tightly with foil.
- Set the dish on a steaming rack inside a large pot or wok holding a few centimetres of simmering water, making sure the water doesn’t touch the dish. Cover the pot and steam for 25 to 30 minutes more, until the rice has turned a deep mahogany brown throughout and looks glossy.
- Remove the dish and let the yaksik cool until just warm, pressing it down gently with a spoon or the back of a spatula a few times as it firms up, which helps it hold together when cut. Cool completely before cutting into squares.
Notes
- Real jujubes (Korean dried dates, 대추) are dried jujube fruit, not the same thing as Medjool or Deglet Noor dates: they’re smaller, chewier, and less syrupy, with a faint tang and a tea-like aroma. If you can’t find them, look in a Korean or Asian grocer or order them online; failing that, pitted regular dried dates are the closest widely available substitute. Being honest about it: this swap makes a sweeter, denser yaksik than the original, so chop the dates a little smaller than you would jujubes since they’re stickier and richer.
- Traditionalists simmer the pits from whole, unpitted jujubes in a little water to make a faintly sweet tea, and use that in place of plain water anywhere the recipe calls for it. Skip this if you’re using pitted dates, since there won’t be any pits to work with.
- A pressure cooker or electric rice cooker can replace the first steaming step: cook the soaked, drained rice with a little less than its own volume of water on the white-rice or “sweet rice” setting, then continue with the seasoning and second steam as written above.
- Check that your soy sauce is labeled gluten-free, or use tamari, if that matters for your table.
- Yaksik keeps well: covered at room temperature for a day or two in cool weather, refrigerated for about a week, or wrapped tightly and frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge or briefly in the microwave; a few seconds of gentle reheating brings back the glossy, chewy texture.