Happy Lunar New Year!
It's a chilly week filled with celebrations - first, another new year day that allows us to re-set the time to get a fresh start (at least in my mind) and the Super Bowl this Sunday for those who are interested (can you tell I'm not one of them).
Sweet rice cake is an essential part of Korean holidays, and a few of soft, chewy mochi rice cakes filled with sweet red beans can brighten up any of your day, not just on Seollal (설날) - the Lunar New Year Day. This plumpy, soft rice cake with personality of its own is common in Korea year-round, but its height of popularity comes ahead of the annual college entrance exam in November to wish the exam-takers to get good scores and 'stick' to the schools they hope to get in.
You can easily buy chap ssal ddeok (찹쌀떡) in Asian grocery stores or even bakeries, but it's also easy to make at home. It gets a little messy with the dusting of starch powder and the sticky dough that will try to stick to anything it touches. Yet, stirring and kneading it to bring out its soft, elastic texture from its rough stickiness is almost meditative with an end result of a delicious treat.
Stirring the dough with a wooden spoon when it comes out of the microwave is the most important step that requires your strength and patience. Make sure to stir the dough with all your might and consider it your arm exercise. Constant stirring and folding of the dough until it is at room temperature or at least warm to touch helps to bring out the soft, chewy elasticity which is what this particular rice cake is known for. Also, cooling it enough before rolling the dough in starch powder ensures that the dough does not absorb too much starch powder, which tends to tear in the making of the mochi balls and results in an unpleasant dry, flaky texture in the final product.
Mochi Rice Cake with Sweet Red Bean Filling (찹쌀떡 chap ssal ddeok)
Yield - 12 mochi balls
INGREDIENTS:
1 Cup Sweet red bean paste - store-bought or find my recipe here
1 Cup Mochiko, a.k.a. glutinous rice flour (찹쌀 가루 chap ssal ga ru)
1 Tablespoon Sugar
1 Cup Water
1/2 Cup Potato starch or corn starch (may need addtional 1/4 cup)
DIRECTIONS:
For sweet red bean filling
1. If you are starting the sweet red beans from my recipe, mash the red beans with a potato masher and keep cooking the beans, while constantly stirring, until there is no liquid on the bottom. Remove from heat and let it cool to room temperature. If you want smooth red bean paste, blend the beans while it's still warm and pass through a sieve. By the time it's cooled - in the form of mashed beans or bean paste, it should be thick and pasty. Transfer it in a container, cover and refrigerate.
2. When the dough is cold, scoop 1-inch balls from the red bean paste. If you have a small cookie dough scoop, it makes the job easier. You can also use your hands to portion and roll the bean balls. Place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet, cover with plastic and freeze for 30 minutes.
For mochi dough
1. Mix together mochiko and sugar in a microwave-safe bowl.
2. Add water to mochiko and sugar and mix completely with a wooden spoon until there are no dry lumps. Cover with plastic wrap and poke a couple of holes.
3. Microwave for 2 minutes. When it's done, the dough is translucent and sticky all around. If it's not fully cooked (meaning, opaque white spots in mostly transluscent, sticky dough), stir to mix again and put it back in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time, covered with plastic.
4. *MOST IMPORTANT STEP* When it's completely cooked, mix it vigorously and thoroughly with a wooden spoon until it's cooled off to room temperature or warm to touch.
5. Transfer the dough on a clean work surface dusted with starch powder. The dough will be very sticky at first. Roll the dough with starch powder to keep it from sticking to your fingers. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes until the dough is smooth and nicely dusted in starch powder. Cut the dough into 12 equal pieces. Place them on a starch-dusted work space and cover with plastic. Wash your hands thoroughly and remove any sticky dough bits before you start assembling mochi.
Assembling mochi
1. Dust your dry hands with starch powder. Press one piece of mochi from the middle and stretch carefully to form a flat round with thinner edges than the middle. Dust your hands and mochi as necessary.
2. Place one red bean paste ball in the middle of the mochi round. Pull and pinch the sides to seal mochi. Be careful not to stretch too much of the dough. Roll the sealed mochi in starch powder, then place it in a paper cupcake liner or a starch-dusted plate with the sealed side down. Keep it covered with plastic to prevent from drying. Repeat with the rest of mochi dough.
It's best to eat mochi on the day it's made. You can freeze the leftover on a starch-dusted plate, not touching each other for a couple of hours. When mochi balls harden, you can put them in a ziploc bag in the freezer. Leave it out at room temperature for 30 minutes to an hour before serving. This means that if you take it out before your meal, it will be ready as a dessert!
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KOREAN WORDS
명절 (myoung jeol) holiday (usually refers to traditional holidays in general)
설날 (seol nal) Lunar New Year Day (written as 'seol nal,' read as 'seol lal')
