Chuseok is one of the biggest holidays in South Korea, along with Korean New Year. During Chuseok, the family gathers around to eat delicious food, share stories, and show affection for each other. One representative Korean food eaten during Chuseok is called songpyeon. Since our ancestors used pine tree leaves to make songpyeon, it was referred to as ‘songbyeong’ in the past, with ‘song’ meaning pine tree and ‘byeong’ meaning rice cake. With time, the shape and taste of songpyeon became more diverse. In celebration of this year’s Chuseok, Pharos will introduce how to make sesame songpyeon, one of the many varieties of songpyeon.

 How to Easily Make Songpyeon at Home 

Ingredients for  the dough: non-glutinous rice flour, hot water, a paper cup and a plastic bag

Ingredients for the stuffing: sesame seeds, chestnuts, raisins, sugar, salt, cinnamon powder, honey, oligosaccharide, etc

➊ Knead the dough while slowly adding hot water little by little to non-glutinous rice flour.

➋ Put the flour into a plastic bag and let it sit for 30 minutes.

➌ Prepare the songpyeon stuffing by adding the ingredients together.

➍ Separate the prepared dough, roll it around, and press your thumb into it, making a space in the middle.

➎ Add a sufficient amount of songpyeon stuffing into the space.

➏ Close the opening of the dough, and shape it into a half-moon shape.

➐ Steam the finished dough for 20 minutes.

➑ Finished!

 There are many types of songpyeon depending on the stuffing: black beans songpyeon, sesame songpyeon, and mugwort songpyeon. Depending on the ingredients used, there are various health benefits; black beans prevent anorexia and fatigue, beans alleviate menopause, and sesame seeds contain a lot of calcium and dietary fiber. Making songpyeon is a fun challenge for the whole family and easy enough for everyone to do. We recommend that you create some great memories making songpyeon this Chuseok with your family.

80th Reporter • CHOI MIN JUN • mchoikorea04@gmail.com