Yaksik (Sweet Glutinous Rice with Jujubes and Chestnuts)
Quick answer
- Total time
- 440 min
- Level
- Medium
- Servings
- 4 servings
- Ingredients
- 8
About this dish
Only honey sweetens this yaksik and no caramel goes in, so it stays lighter than the deep brown versions, with each glutinous rice grain still visible around the jujubes and chestnuts.
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Cinnamon and sesame oil carry the aroma, and soy sauce leaves a savory note between the sweet bites. The rice is steamed plain until no hard core remains, seasoned in a bowl, then steamed again, so set aside most of a day counting the 5-hour soak.
Ingredients
Instructions
- 1
Rinse 300 g glutinous rice, soak in cold water for 5 hours, then drain for 10 minutes.
Rinse and pit 50 g dried jujubes, slice, and reserve a little for garnish. Cut 80 g peeled raw chestnuts into bite-size pieces.
- 2
Put 1200 ml water in the lower pot, keeping it below the basket.
Once steaming, spread only the drained rice on a damp cloth, cover, and steam over medium-high heat for 40 minutes. Check the lower pot during cooking and replenish with boiling water if low.
- 3
Turn the rice over and steam on medium heat for 20 more minutes.
Press a grain to check for a hard white center; if one remains, check the water and continue steaming. In a bowl combine 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 3 tablespoons honey, 0.5 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1 tablespoon sesame oil. Do not add water to this seasoning.
- 4
Transfer the cooked rice to the seasoning bowl and add the jujubes and chestnuts.
Fold with a rice paddle until the seasoning is absorbed and no liquid pools at the bottom.
- 5
Check the lower pot and add the reserved 240 ml water.
Return the seasoned rice to the cloth-lined basket, cover, and steam over medium heat for about 30 minutes. Replenish further if needed to keep the pot from drying out, and check that the chestnut centers are tender.
- 6
Press the finished yaksik into a shallow mold and add the reserved jujube garnish.
Let it set for about 20 minutes before cutting, or serve warm by the spoonful.
References checked
These references were consulted when this page was prepared or corrected. A source check does not mean the recipe was independently kitchen-tested.
- Yaksik
Maangchi · Checked: 2026-09-12
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