This Asian rice desserts recipe got here from Mama Lin’s try to make Korean rice desserts, particularly the type utilized in tteokbokki. Like in Korean delicacies, steamed rice desserts are prevalent in Chinese language cooking (usually occasions referred to as nian gao, 年糕). All year long, Mama Lin makes rice desserts for stir frying. My mother seen how my sister-in-law was shopping for Korean rice desserts, tteok (떡), from the grocery store, so she determined to determine easy methods to create it at house.
Usually occasions, tteok is made by pounding a rice flour dough to present the rice desserts its attribute chewy texture. Though the form of the rice desserts you see right here appears to be like so much like garaetteok (cylindrical rice desserts), it’s not derived from the standard methodology of constructing tteok. That’s why I hesitate to name this a tteok or garaetteok recipe as a result of it’s my mother’s interpretation of a Korean-style rice cake. Nevertheless, if you’re fascinated about studying easy methods to make tteok from scratch, try this recipe from Maangchi.
Reading: What is a rice cake
These steamed Asian rice desserts are a flexible ingredient that you should use to stir fry or stews.
Table of Contents
HOW TO MAKE STEAMED ASIAN RICE CAKES
FLOUR BLEND
The rice desserts are created from a mix of rice flour and tapioca starch. The tapioca starch offers the rice desserts a chewier high quality. For those who solely used rice flour, the rice desserts might be firmer and denser whenever you chew into them.
Sometimes, Mama Lin makes use of Thai rice flour (crimson label) and tapioca starch (blue label). These flours are comparatively cheap in Asian supermarkets. You may also discover them on Amazon (rice flour, tapioca starch) although they’re much dearer there.
Within the recipe, I additionally add a small quantity of sugar and salt to the dough to present the rice desserts a bit taste.
USING HOT WATER TO MAKE THE DOUGH
To begin making the dough, you’ll combine the flours with boiling sizzling water. It’s essential to make use of sizzling water as a result of the warmth “cooks” the dough, making it versatile and pliable. In flip, this lets you manipulate the dough into no matter form you need.
When including water to the flour, I normally pour about half the water into the bowl with one hand, and use the opposite hand to stir every part concurrently. As soon as all of the water has absorbed, I’ll add the remainder of the new water. Stir the water and flour collectively for 30 seconds to 1 minute. If the dough is trying very dry, pour room temperature water over any free flour on the underside of the bowl, 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time.
KNEADING THE DOUGH
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As you may think about, the dough could be very sizzling at first. I normally let the dough cool for two to three minutes earlier than kneading, stirring it steadily to launch some steam from the dough. For those who nonetheless discover the dough to be very popular, stir the dough for for an additional 1 to 2 minutes earlier than kneading.
Knead the dough till you’ve gotten practically labored all of the free flour into the clump of dough. Then, flip the dough onto a piece floor. Proceed kneading it for about 2 to three minutes. The skin of the dough needs to be comparatively clean (see picture under). This dough could be very forgiving, so it doesn’t matter when you have a number of creases right here or there. Most significantly, the dough mustn’t really feel dry.
It is rather frequent for rice flour doughs made with sizzling water to be a bit sticky whenever you knead it, particularly at first. As you proceed to knead it, the dough will progressively really feel much less sticky. In direction of the top of kneading, I discovered the dough to be a bit cheesy however not overly sticky. If the dough nonetheless feels very sticky after a number of minutes of kneading, add one other tablespoon of rice flour and knead the dough once more.
DIVIDE DOUGH AND SHAPE INTO LONG ROPES
The sort of dough doesn’t want any resting time. As a matter of truth, it’s higher to work with it whereas the dough continues to be heat. For those who let the dough sit for a very long time, the surface of the dough will begin to dry and type a crust.
Form the dough right into a ball and divide it into 8 equal items. You don’t should be too exact. For reference, my items of dough had been someplace between 95 to 100 grams.
Go away one piece of dough on the work floor for rolling out. Switch the remaining 7 items of dough again into the bowl and canopy with a towel.
Form the piece of dough into a brief, thick log, after which place the go online the work floor. Ranging from the center, roll out the dough and progressively work your arms additional aside. Finally, you’re going to get an extended dough rope. It needs to be about 16 inches lengthy and simply over 1/2 inch in diameter. Roll the dough rope off to the facet.
Roll out 3 extra items of dough into lengthy ropes. Then, line up the 4 ropes of dough and lower them up into 2-inch items. The dough will follow your knife a bit. You possibly can calmly grease the perimeters of your knife with oil to stop sticking, however I don’t normally trouble with that.
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Switch all of the items of rice cake onto a big baking sheet and canopy them with a towel when you end shaping and chopping the remaining items of dough. If any of the previous few items of dough have began to dry up and crust over, knead them once more till they now not really feel dry. Then, roll out the dough right into a rope.
EQUIPMENT TO STEAM ASIAN RICE CAKES
- 2 giant plates or small pans
- parchment paper
- steaming rack
- giant wok with lid
ALTERNATIVE STEAMING SETUP
You’ll desire a wok that’s giant sufficient to comfortably match the plates or pans holding the rice desserts. For those who don’t have a big wok, you can even use a big sauté pan with deep sides. I might additionally advocate utilizing a shorter steaming rack. Many sauté pan lids are usually made from glass. Condensation develops simply on glass lids. Typically, the water would possibly drip onto the rice desserts whereas they’re cooking. To forestall that from occurring, you may tie a towel to cowl the underside of the lid to catch the condensation.
You may also steam the desserts in bamboo baskets.
STEAM THE ASIAN RICE CAKES
Line 2 plates (or small pans) with parchment paper to maintain the rice desserts from sticking to the plates. Prepare the items of dough into rows on the parchment-lined plates. Hold the rice desserts lined with a dry fabric till they’re able to be steamed.
Fill the wok with about 1 1/2 to 2 inches of water. Deliver the water to boil. Then, fastidiously place the steaming rack within the heart of the wok. Make it possible for the water isn’t masking the rack fully. If that’s the case, take away some water from the wok. Place one of many plates or pans of rice desserts onto the steaming rack. Lastly, cowl the wok with a lid and steam the rice desserts on excessive warmth for 10 to 11 minutes.
To examine to see if the rice desserts are absolutely cooked, slice up a rice cake and examine the middle. The rice desserts are absolutely cooked when you don’t see any strong white spots within the heart. Let the rice desserts cool on the counter when you steam the second batch of rice desserts. If the water degree within the wok is trying low, add some water to the wok.
HOW TO STORE ASIAN RICE CAKES
Retailer the Asian rice desserts in a tupperware for as much as every week. My most well-liked methodology to reheating rice desserts is to soak them in sizzling water for two minutes. I boil some water in a saucepan earlier than turning off the warmth. Then, I fastidiously decrease the rice desserts into the new water.
You may also freeze the rice in a freezer bag and they’ll preserve for months. Reheat the rice desserts by soaking them in sizzling water for five minutes.
HOW TO EAT ASIAN RICE CAKES
You possibly can serve the rice desserts heat with sauces like my soy and vinegar dumpling sauce, chili oil, or peanut sauce. You may also stir fry the rice desserts (like within the picture above), add them to stews, or use them to make tteokbokki.
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