Korean Songpyeon Recipe

Traditional half-moon rice cakes filled with sweet beans, sesame, or chestnuts - a cherished Korean dessert especially enjoyed during Chuseok.

Prep: 1 hour Steam: 20 min Difficulty: Medium Makes: 20 songpyeon

Ingredients

For the Rice Cake Dough:

300g glutinous rice flour
1/4 tsp salt
200ml boiling water
1 tbsp vegetable oil

For Natural Coloring (Optional):

1 tsp matcha powder (green)
1 tsp purple sweet potato powder
1 tsp turmeric powder (yellow)

For Sweet Bean Filling:

150g cooked red beans
50g brown sugar
1 tbsp honey
Pinch of salt

For Sesame Filling:

100g black sesame seeds, toasted
50g brown sugar
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp sesame oil

For Steaming:

Pine needles or cheesecloth
Sesame oil for brushing

Instructions

Prepare Fillings:

For red bean filling: Mash cooked beans with sugar, honey, and salt.
Cook over low heat until thick paste forms. Cool completely.
For sesame filling: Grind toasted sesame seeds finely.
Mix with sugar, honey, and sesame oil until paste forms.
Divide each filling into small portions and roll into balls.

Make the Dough:

Mix glutinous rice flour and salt in a large bowl.
Gradually add boiling water while stirring with wooden spoon.
Add oil and mix until dough forms.
Knead while warm until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.
Divide into portions if making colored versions.
Add natural colorings to separate portions if desired.

Shape Songpyeon:

Take a small piece of dough and flatten into circle.
Place filling ball in center.
Fold dough over to form half-moon shape.
Seal edges firmly and shape into crescent.
Repeat with remaining dough and filling.

Steam and Serve:

Line steamer with pine needles or cheesecloth.
Arrange songpyeon on steamer, not touching.
Steam for 15-20 minutes until translucent.
Brush lightly with sesame oil while warm.
Serve at room temperature.

Songpyeon Tradition

Shaping Technique

The traditional half-moon shape should be neat and well-sealed to prevent filling from leaking during steaming.

Pine Needle Aroma

Steaming on pine needles gives songpyeon its traditional fragrance. If unavailable, use clean cheesecloth.

Cultural Significance

Songpyeon is traditionally made during Chuseok (Korean harvest festival) as an offering to ancestors and shared with family.