Yaksik (Sweet Glutinous Rice)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large steamer, 10 inches wide or larger, bamboo or stainless steel
• •Clean cotton steaming cloth or silicone steamer liner
• •Small saucepan for jujube infusion
• •Large mixing bowl and rice paddle
• •8-inch square pan or small individual molds

Instructions

1. 1

   Soak the rice

   Rinse the chapssal in 5 or 6 changes of water, rubbing the grains gently between your palms, until the water turns mostly clear. Cover with at least 3 inches of fresh water and soak 6 hours, or overnight in the refrigerator. Drain in a sieve for 30 minutes. Glutinous rice cooks from the water it has already taken in, so a short soak gives you hard centers, and a wet drain thins the seasoning later.

   Use sweet glutinous rice, not ordinary short-grain rice. The bag may say sweet rice, sticky rice, or chapssal. It contains no gluten; the name means the cooked grain clings.
2. 2

   Prepare the jujubes

   Pit the jujubes with a small knife. Slice 10 of them into thin strips. Roll the flesh of the remaining 4 tightly like little scrolls, then slice crosswise into flower rounds for the top. Put the reserved pits in a small saucepan with 1 1/4 cups water, simmer 10 minutes, then strain. Measure 3/4 cup of the dark jujube infusion; add a little hot water if it reduced too far. The pits give color and a quiet fruit depth, and we don't waste what still has work to do.

3. 3

   Steam the rice

   Line a steamer with a wet cotton cloth or steamer liner. Spread the drained rice evenly, make 5 or 6 finger holes through it so heat can move, and cover. Set over actively boiling water and steam 35 to 40 minutes, until the grains are swollen and mostly tender but still separate. If the top looks dry after 25 minutes, sprinkle over 2 to 3 tablespoons hot water. This first steaming cooks the rice without drowning it.

4. 4

   Mix the seasoning

   In a very large bowl, stir together the 3/4 cup hot jujube infusion, honey, brown sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, salt, and cinnamon until the sugar dissolves. Taste a drop. It should be sweet, but the soy should be present and the salt should keep it from tasting flat. Yaksik is not candy. Let the rice still read as rice.

5. 5

   Season the rice

   Tip the hot steamed rice into the seasoning bowl and fold with a wet rice paddle for 4 to 5 minutes, scraping from the bottom so no syrup sits in a puddle. Let it rest 10 minutes, then fold again. Add the sliced jujubes, chestnuts, and 2 tablespoons of the pine nuts. The rest is for the top. This rest matters because the grains drink the seasoning while they are hot; rush it and the color stays outside instead of going in.

   손맛 is real, hand-taste is real, but I still measure it so it can be handed on. If your soy sauce is very salty, reduce it by 1 teaspoon next time and write that down.
6. 6

   Steam again

   Return the seasoned rice to the lined steamer, spreading it in an even layer. Cover and steam over boiling water for 35 to 40 minutes. After 25 minutes, lift the lid away from you, fold the rice once from the edges toward the center, cover again, and finish steaming. The second steaming is where yaksik becomes glossy and tender without turning to paste.

7. 7

   Press and decorate

   Brush an 8-inch square pan, small molds, or a shallow platter lightly with the extra sesame oil. While the yaksik is still warm, press it in firmly to about 1 inch thick, using an oiled rice paddle or oiled hands. Decorate the top with the jujube flower rounds and the remaining 1 tablespoon pine nuts. Press while warm because cold yaksik cracks instead of settling into a clean shape.

8. 8

   Cool and cut

   Let the yaksik cool 45 minutes, until it holds its shape but is not hard. Cut with a lightly oiled knife into 12 large or 16 small squares. Serve at room temperature with tea, or wrap pieces individually once fully cool. This is celebration food, but it is still rice, so don't leave it out all day.

Chef Tips

• •Buy chapssal, sweet glutinous rice, and check the grains. They should be short, plump, and opaque white. Ordinary short-grain rice will not give the same chew, no matter how kindly you speak to it.
• •Vacuum-packed peeled chestnuts are an honest shortcut. Canned water chestnuts are not chestnuts for this dish, and they will taste like someone wandered into the wrong kitchen.
• •Use Korean jin ganjang, regular soy sauce, not guk-ganjang, soup soy sauce. Soup soy is too salty and sharp here. The soy is for color and depth as much as salt.
• • 시대가 바뀌면 음식도 바뀌어야 해요. When times change, food must change too. An electric steamer is fine, and a pressure rice cooker can make a softer home version, but for a holiday table the double steaming keeps the grains clearer and better shaped.
• •Remove the tiny dark tips from pine nuts if you see them. They can taste bitter, and in a dish this restrained, small bitterness has nowhere to hide.

Advance Preparation

• •The rice can be rinsed and soaked overnight in the refrigerator. If your kitchen is warm, refrigerate the soaking rice rather than leaving it out.
• •Jujubes can be pitted and sliced up to 2 days ahead. Keep them covered so they do not dry into hard edges.
• •Finished yaksik keeps 2 days refrigerated, tightly wrapped, or 1 month frozen in individual pieces. To serve, thaw if frozen and warm briefly in a steamer for 5 minutes or in a microwave for 20 to 30 seconds, then let it settle back to room temperature.
• •For food safety, refrigerate leftovers within 4 hours. Sweet rice is still cooked rice, and celebration food should not sit on the table until midnight just because people are talking.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 220g)