Jeungpyeon (Fermented Rice Steamed Cake)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Steamer large enough for 12 small cups or one 20 cm tin
• •Clean kitchen towel for wrapping the steamer lid
• •12 small heatproof cups or silicone muffin cups
• •Fine sieve
• •Instant-read thermometer, useful for checking water temperature

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the steamer

   Set out 12 small heatproof cups, silicone muffin cups, or a 20 cm shallow cake tin. Grease lightly with neutral oil. Line the steamer lid with a clean kitchen towel and tie the corners up so they cannot sag into the cakes. Jeungpyeon hates dripping water; one careless lid can pockmark the whole surface.

2. 2

   Mix the batter

   Sift the rice flour into a bowl, then whisk in the sugar and salt. Stir the makgeolli and warm water together, then pour them into the flour in two additions. Whisk until the batter is smooth and thick like pourable yogurt. Scrape the bowl well, because dry rice flour hiding at the bottom gives you hard white flecks after steaming.

   Unpasteurized makgeolli ferments best. If yours is pasteurized and quiet, add 1/4 teaspoon instant yeast to the warm water. That is a modern help, not a crime, but do not add more or the cake will smell bready instead of gently sour.
3. 3

   Ferment until risen

   Cover the bowl and leave it in a warm place, 26 to 30 C, for 3 to 5 hours. The batter should increase by about half, show many small bubbles across the top, and smell lightly of rice wine. Stir it down once after the first rise, then let it rise again for 30 to 45 minutes. This second rise gives a finer, more even crumb.

4. 4

   Fill and garnish

   Stir the batter gently 5 or 6 times to even it out without knocking all the life from it. Fill each cup about 70 percent full, or spread the batter in the prepared tin. Lay two or three jujube slices and a few pine nuts on each small cake, or scatter them evenly over the large one. Do not bury the garnish; it should sit on the surface where it can be seen.

5. 5

   Steam the cakes

   Bring the steamer water to a strong boil, then set in the filled cups. Cover with the towel-lined lid and steam over medium-high heat for 18 to 20 minutes for small cakes, or 25 to 28 minutes for one large cake. Do not peek for the first 15 minutes. The trapped heat sets the rise, and opening the lid early makes the tops collapse.

6. 6

   Rest before serving

   Turn off the heat and let the cakes sit covered for 3 minutes, then uncover away from the cakes so condensed water does not fall back on them. Cool until warm, loosen the edges, and lift them out. The texture should be springy and porous, with small even holes and a faint makgeolli tang. Serve the same day, or cool completely for storage.

Chef Tips

• •Buy wet rice flour from a Korean rice cake shop if you can. It has the right moisture and grind. If using dry flour, the rice flour and sweet rice flour blend gives a softer bite than rice flour alone.
• •The batter temperature matters. Warm water at about 38 C wakes the makgeolli without killing its fermenting strength. Hot water makes a gluey batter and weak rise.
• •Jeungpyeon should be lightly sweet, not dessert-sweet. Forty grams of sugar is enough to feed the fermentation and round the sourness while still letting the rice taste like rice.
• •For a cleaner party shape, steam in small silicone cups. For the older home-table feeling, steam one shallow cake and cut it into diamonds after cooling.

Advance Preparation

• •Jeungpyeon is a make-ahead tteok by nature. Steam it in the morning for an afternoon table, then keep it covered at room temperature for up to 8 hours.
• •For longer storage, cool completely, wrap tightly, and refrigerate up to 2 days. Rewarm by steaming 5 minutes, just until soft again.
• •Do not refrigerate uncovered. Rice cakes harden quickly when exposed to cold dry air, and no amount of scolding brings back the first texture.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 38g)