Three-Color Sweet Rice Balls
Samsek gyeongdan are traditional Korean rice balls made from glutinous rice flour dough divided into three colors: plain white, green from mugwort powder, and pink from prickly pear powder, then rolled into small spheres and boiled. The dough must be kneaded with hot water to activate the starch's sticky quality, and the balls need one extra minute of cooking after they float to ensure the centers turn fully translucent. The mugwort batch carries an herbal, grassy note, while the prickly pear version offers a faint fruity tang, so three distinct flavors emerge from the same base recipe. Rolling the warm balls in a mixture of roasted soybean powder or black sesame powder with sugar gives them a nutty coating, and a light brush of sesame oil prevents sticking while adding a subtle sheen.
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Instructions
- 1
Mix glutinous rice flour and salt, then add hot water gradually to form a soft dough.
- 2
Divide dough into three; keep one plain, mix mugwort powder into one and prickly pear powder into the other.
- 3
Roll each dough into 2 cm balls and drop into boiling water.
- 4
Once balls float, cook 1 more minute, transfer to cold water, then drain well.
- 5
Mix sugar into soybean and black sesame powders, coat the balls, then lightly brush with sesame oil.
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