Ssuk Beomul (Korean Mugwort Rice Cake)

Ssuk Beomul or Ssuk Beomuri is a steamed Korean mugwort rice cake merely made with Ssuk (mugwort) and rice cake flour. A springtime favourite, this Ssuk Beomul is filled with herbaceous taste that’s frivolously candy – good for breakfast or a snack.

What’s Ssuk Beomul 쑥버물?

Ssuk Beomul is a straightforward steamed Korean Tteok (rice cake) that’s made by mixing Ssuk and Tteok flour collectively and steaming it. Completely different from most tteok the place rice is the most important ingredient with flavorings or dried fruit or nuts added, this rice cake consists primarily of Ssuk leaves which are held along with the rice flour combination.

So, in regards to the title. Beomul 버물 comes from the phrase Beomurida 버무리다 which implies to toss or combine. Thus, this dish additionally known as Ssuk Beomuri.

Now, What’s Ssuk?

Ssuk (Artemisia princeps) that Koreans eat is one number of the frequent species known as Mugwort in English. NOT ALL mugworts are the identical so please watch out about which selection you utilize.

Korean Ssuk (쑥) has a really fragrant and barely bitter taste. Koreans, Japanese and Chinese language use it in cooking in addition to in natural medication. Koreans like to make rice cake (tteok), soups and in addition in Saunas (haha.). Once I was a toddler, the neighborhood bathhouses all the time hung dried Ssuk contained in the dry Saunas! I didn’t significantly benefit from the aroma again then however now I like it! I have to be getting actually outdated..😝

Ssuk grew within the wild in every single place once I was rising up in Seoul and I cherished selecting them on my manner dwelling from college. I used to be so proud coming dwelling – “Mother! Look what I discovered and introduced dwelling to your too cook dinner!!” I really don’t keep in mind having fun with the soup as a lot however I LOVED selecting them. I all the time cherished vegetation, meals and animals so far as I can keep in mind. 😛

I began to develop them final 12 months at dwelling (from a couple of vegetation I received from a good friend) and this 12 months for the primary time I used to be capable of choose them (watch me choose them within the video – with the assistance from Spock 🐕) and make tteok with it!! I couldn’t imagine I can now have Ssuk in my backyard!! And do I promote the seeds on my store? No.. not but. I’m searching for it although!

Ssuk Beomul

What Flour Do You Use for Korean Rice Truffles (Tteok)?

This can be a query you’ll have and the reply will not be quite simple. In brief, there are 2 fundamental sorts of tteok in Korean delicacies. One is made with candy rice aka glutinous/sticky rice (chapssal 찹쌀) after which the opposite form is made with quick grain rice (maepssal 멥쌀). Extra particularly, a moist quick grain rice powder known as Tteok Ssal Garu 떡 쌀가루.

With candy rice flour, you make Injeolmi, whereas Songpyeon, Seolgi Tteok and this Ssuk Beomul (Ssul Tteok) are produced from moist quick grain rice powder aka Tteok Ssal Garu 떡쌀까루 or Maepssal Garu 멥쌀가루. You should buy them within the freezer part at a Korean grocery retailer however for those who don’t have entry to 1, you may make it at dwelling. Examine my The best way to make contemporary Rice Flour for Rice Truffles submit on methods to make it.

The best way to make Korean Ssuk Beomul Tteok (Mugwort Rice Cake)

Tools

• stress rice cooker, stress cooker
• steam liner
• parchment paper
• mixing bowls, colander
• chopsticks

Elements

• 100g Ssuk (mugwort)
• 300g Tteok Ssalgaru (moist rice cake powder)
• 2.5 to three Tbs sugar (use 2.5 Tbs if including candy canned chestnuts)
• 1/8~1/4 tsp sea salt
• 2 Tbs or much less water
• 6 canned chestnuts (in syrup) – optionally available however improve sugar quantity if omitted
• 5-6 dried jujube dates (Daechu 대추) – optionally available

Step-by-Step Directions

1. Drain chestnuts from the can and discard the syrup. Reduce into smaller items. I often lower into quarters or extra.
2. Take away pits from dried Jujube dates by chopping across the pit. After which roll the lower piece then lower crosswise which can seem like a flower! Watch my video under.
3. Retailer-bought moist tteok flour aka Seupsik Ssalgaru 습식 쌀가루/Tteok Ssalgaru 떡 쌀가루/Maepssal Garu 멥쌀가루 comes frozen. If you happen to don’t have entry to this moist rice flour, you may make your individual at dwelling by following the directions in THIS POST.
4. Put together the rice cooker pot for Ssuk Beomul. Use a 6 cup measurement or bigger cooker. Add about 1+1/4 cup water, then a steamer basket or in case you have a steamer insert that comes together with your rice cooker, use that. I like utilizing a silicone steamer that flexes simply into the pot. Moisten a Korean hemp (삼베 sambae) steam liner with water and wring out extra water then line the silicone steamer with it. Alternatively, you should use a normal bamboo steamer on the stovetop OR On the spot Pot as I did for my Songpyeon submit.
5. IN A BOWL, add frozen or contemporary tteok rice flour, salt and add about 1.5 Tbs to 2 Tbs of water per 300 grams of moist rice flour. Combine all of the flour and water by mixing and rubbing flour in between your fingers so rice flour is evenly moist however doesn’t have any clumps in it.
6. TEST the tteok combine by grabbing a handful and shutting your fist to make a log (see pic) in your hand. Then toss the lumped flour gently in your hand (only a mild toss). If the lumped combination simply breaks aside into powdered kind when it drops again in your hand, you have to add a bit extra water. Perhaps add about 1/2 Tbs extra at most. Attempt once more and if the clumped log retains its form after a toss, then it’s sufficiently moist. However you positively DON’T WANT it to be like an everyday dough however needs to be moist and nonetheless powdery. Watch my video on how I do that.
7. Add sugar to rice flour combination and blend once more together with your fingers. Put aside a small handful (1.5 Tbs or so) of the combination to sprinkle on the backside of the pot.
8. Rinse Ssuk (mugwort) in water 2-3 instances and take away any powerful stems. Let the rinsed leaves drain in a colander. DO NOT dry it out. We wish the mugwort leaves to be fairly moist in order that they are going to get simply coated with the flour combination.To the bowl with moist rice flour from 7, add the rinsed and moist mugwort leaves. Gently toss mugwort Ssuk leaves with flour so all of the leaves are evenly coated.
9. Calmly sprinkle the underside of the ready pot with a few of the flour combine (about 1 1/2 Tbs) to forestall the tteok from sticking.
10. ADD 1/2 of the coated Ssuk (from 8) Beomul into the ready rice cooker pot (from step 1) and unfold evenly within the pot.
11. Then high with chestnuts and jujube dates or jujube flowers as I did right here.
12. REPEAT LAYER – add the remaining Ssuk Beomul and end by topping with chestnuts and jujube dates once more.
13. Dig a gap within the heart by swirling round a set of thick wood chopsticks a couple of instances. We make this gap so the steam might be evenly distributed throughout cooking.
14. Cowl the highest with parchment paper. (lower out a circle) After which wrap the perimeters with leftover hemp liner.
15. Put the pot within the rice cooker, shut and lock the highest and Set the rice cooker to steam (만능찜 Man-neung-jjim) operate. It ought to steam for 30 min. As soon as cooked, take away from the rice cooker and switch to a plate and serve!

Ssuk Beomul (Mugwort Rice Cake) Video

This can be a fast 4 min video.

This can be a longer 9 min YouTube video with full narration.