Purple Yam Steamed Rice Cake (Baekseolgi)
Equipment
Ingredients
Makes: 8inch round
Baekseolgi
- 300 g rice flour
- 120 g glutinous rice flour
- 65 g sugar
- 225 g water
- 1 tbsp purple yam powder
Osmanthus Jam
- 300 g sugar
- 150 g water
- 5 g dried osmanthus
- 30 g lemon juice
- 1 g salt
Instructions
Prepare the steamer
- Fill a wok or wide pot with about 2 inches of water. Bring to a gentle boil.
Prepare the cake "powder"
- In a bowl, whisk together rice flour, glutinous rice flour, sugar, and salt.
- Slowly pour in the water while mixing with your hands or chopsticks, ensuring all flour is evenly moistened. The goal is a damp, sandy texture—not a wet batter.
- If you find wet lumps, rub them gently between your palms to break them apart. Continue mixing until the texture is uniform and free of dry spots.
- Squeeze a handful of the mixture—it should hold its shape when pressed together but crumble lightly when poked. If it’s too dry and won’t clump, add water, 1 teaspoon at a time, and mix well. If it’s too wet (sticks to your hands aggressively), sprinkle in a bit more rice flour. The ideal texture should feel like damp sand—it holds together briefly when squeezed but breaks apart easily. This ensures the baekseolgi steams up light and fluffy.
- Sift the mixture 2–3 times for a fine, lump-free texture.
- Transfer one-third of the sifted mixture into another bowl. Add purple yam powder and whisk until evenly combined to prevent clumping.
Steaming
- Line a bamboo steamer with a cotton steamer cloth or cheesecloth, letting the fabric drape over the edges.
- Spoon in the white flour mixture up to one-third of the steamer and gently level the surface without pressing down.
- Add the purple yam mixture as the middle layer, spreading lightly to keep it airy.
- Top with the remaining white mixture, again avoiding compression.
- Use a knife to cut through the unbaked mixture to create clean portions (squares or triangles). Sprinkle dried flowers on top.
- Lightly fold the overhanging cloth over the surface (like a blanket) to trap steam. Cover with the bamboo steamer lid.
- Gently set the steamer into the pot, making sure the water doesn’t touch its base. Steam on high heat for 45–50 minutes. Prepare osmathus jam during this time.
- Turn off the heat, leave the lid closed for 5 minutes, then open slightly to let steam escape for another 2 minutes. Serve warm with osmanthus jam. Note: the cake will firm up once cold.
Prepare the osmanthus jam
- In a small pot, combine sugar and water. Bring to a boil without stirring until the syrup turns light yellow.
- Reduce to low heat and simmer for 3 minutes.
- Add dried osmanthus flowers, lemon juice, and salt. Stir gently.
- Bring back to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for another 10 minutes.
- Transfer to a clean mason jar. The jam will thicken as it cools.
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