Recipes

I would like to talk about my favourite food during Thanksgiving.

Song-pyeon is one of traditional Korean rice cakes, typically made during Korean Thanksgiving Chooseok in fall. Here are steps to make Song-pyeon.

Ingredients:
Short-grain rice flour, not glutinous rice flour, salt, water, pine needles.

Filling options:
Sesame seeds with brown sugar (most common option), red bean paste, chestnuts…

Steps:

1. Bring a large mixing bowl, mix the rice flours with a half teaspoon of salt.
2. Add warm water slowly, then stirring continuously to form a dough.
3. When it is done, cover the dough with a slightly wet cloth to prevent it from drying out.
4. Choose your favourite filling option such as sesame seeds with brown sugar.
5. Take a small piece of dough, flatten it like a thin circle using your hands.
6. Place the filling with a teaspoon, put it in the center of the dough.
7. Carefully close over the filling and pinch the edge to seal it then make it as moon shape.
8. Prepare a big pot with a steamer, put pine needles to add aroma.
9. Place the shaped song-pyeon on the pine needles, make sure they do not touch each other to prevent sticking to each other.
10. Steam it around 20 minutes, until the song-pyeon is fully cooked.
11. After steaming, brush song-pyeon with sesame oil to prevent them sticking to each other and give a glossy look.
12. Let the song-pyeon(s) cool a couple of minutes before serving.

How to store Song-pyeon:

1. If you want to keep Song-pyeon for a few days, put them in a Lock and Lock container or a Ziplock in a fridge. Before eating, steam them again about 10 minutes.
2. To keep Song-pyeon a long period time, keep them in a Lock and Lock container and freeze. When you want to eat, steam them for 20 minutes until hot inside of Song-pyeon.
3. If you are not eating Song-pyeon right away, cover them with a damp cloth

I love Song-pyeon because it is a special food we can only enjoy during Chooseok. The sweet filling inside of Song-pyeon was my favourite when I was a child. The most memorable things are my family gathering together during the Chooseok holidays, making Thanksgiving foods, especially Song-pyeon. We were all working together, chatting and enjoying the Chooseok atmosphere. I miss those things when Thanksgiving comes.

Song-pyeon has a special meaning. As I mentioned above, the circle shape of Song-pyeon symbolizes the full moon during Chooseok. I remember my grandmother said that if you shape Song-pyeon or Mandu(dumpling) well, your future daughter will be beautiful. So, when I shaped Song-pyeons I did my best all the time.

References:

https://www.10000recipe.com/recipe/6943257

https://kin.naver.com/qna/detail.naver?d1id=13&dirId=130105&docId=116794987&qb=6riw67O4IOyGoe2OuCDssJzquLAg64OJ64+ZIDIw67aE&enc=utf8§ion=kin.qna_ency_cafe&rank=1&search_sort=0&spq=0