Honey-Filled Rice Cakes (Steamed Glutinous Rice with Brown Sugar Syrup)
Quick answer
Kkultteok are bite-sized Korean rice cakes made by kneading glutinous rice flour with hot water, wrapping each 20-gram round of dough around a filling of dark brown sugar...
What makes this special
- Kkultteok honey-filled rice cakes feature a dark sugar and walnut center that melts into a thick syrup.
- Brown sugar, cinnamon and walnut filling melts into sticky syrup while steaming
- Sealing the seam tightly is the only way to keep filling inside
Key ingredients
Core cooking flow
- 1 Mix 250g glutinous rice flour with 2g salt first so the seasoning spreads evenly.
- 2 If the dough cracks while kneading, add hot water 1 tablespoon at a time ins...
- 3 Combine 80g dark brown sugar, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and 25g chopped walnuts for the filling.
Kkultteok are bite-sized Korean rice cakes made by kneading glutinous rice flour with hot water, wrapping each 20-gram round of dough around a filling of dark brown sugar, ground cinnamon, and chopped walnuts, then steaming for eight to ten minutes. After steaming, a light brush of sesame oil gives the surface a sheen and keeps the pieces from sticking together, and a final roll in roasted soybean powder adds a dry, nutty outer coating. Biting through the soft, chewy shell releases a pool of melted brown sugar syrup with cinnamon warmth, while the walnut fragments provide crunch against the sticky interior. The most critical step is pinching the dough seam shut as tightly as possible: if the seal fails during steaming, the molten brown sugar syrup leaks out and the rice cake ends up hollow and dry.
Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Season
Mix 250g glutinous rice flour with 2g salt first so the seasoning spreads evenly.
Add 170ml hot water little by little, rubbing and kneading until the dough feels soft like an earlobe and no dry flour remains.
- 2Control
If the dough cracks while kneading, add hot water 1 tablespoon at a time instead of pouring more all at once.
If it sticks badly to the hands, cover it briefly so the moisture can settle through the dough.
- 3Season
Combine 80g dark brown sugar, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and 25g chopped walnuts for the filling.
Break up any hard sugar lumps with your fingertips so the filling melts evenly during steaming and does not tear the dough.
- 4Step
Divide the dough into 20g pieces and flatten each one with the center slightly thicker than the edges.
Add the filling, gather the edges over it, and pinch the seam several times so syrup cannot leak out.
- 5Heat
Bring water in the steamer to a strong boil before adding the rice cakes, so steam is already steady.
Line with a damp cloth and place the shaped pieces 2cm apart to prevent them from sticking together.
- 6Control
Steam over high heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until the surface looks slightly translucent and glossy.
Remove carefully, brush on a thin layer of 1 tablespoon sesame oil, then coat evenly with 30g roasted soybean powder.
After the steps
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