Yaksik (Sweet Rice Cake with dried fruits and chestnuts)
Yaksik is a popular rice cake that’s made with sweet rice (aka glutinous rice), dried fruits and nuts. It's easy to make with your Instant Pot or electric rice cooker.
Prep Time20 minutesmins
Cook Time30 minutesmins
1 hourhr
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Asian, Korean
Keyword: chapssal, glutinous rice, Korean rice cake, sweet rice, yaksik
2cupssweet rice (aka glutinous rice), chapssal (찹쌀)Standard measuring cup before soaking
4ouncespeeled fresh, frozen, or canned chestnuts - about 12 to 15 whole chestnuts depending on the sizes ½ to ¾ cup cut pieces (See note 1)
2.5ouncesjujubes (daechu, 대추) - about 10 to 15 depending on sizes ½ cup, packed, cut pieces
1tablespoonpine nuts - optional
1tablespoonpumpkin seeds - optional
Seasonings
2tablespoonssoy sauceSee note 2
1/2cupdark brown sugaruse ⅓ cup for less sweet yaksik
2tablespoonshoneyor use about 2 to 2.5 tablespoons more brown sugar
2tablespoonssesame oil
1/4teaspooncinnamon powder - optional
Instructions
Rinse the sweet rice 3 or 4 times until the water is fairly clear. Soak the rice for an hour or up to 2 hours. Drain well while preparing the other ingredients. Tap the strainer to shake off any excess water. See note 3.
Meanwhile, rinse the jujubes. Cut around the seed of each jujube to separate the flesh, and then cut the flesh into small pieces. Reserve the seeds to make jujube water. See step 4.
To make jujube flower decorations, roll the flesh tightly, and cut into thin slices.
In a small saucepan, boil 3 cups of water and the jujube seeds over medium high heat until the liquid is reduced to 1.5 cup (15 to 20 minutes). Measure this for the accurate ratio of rice and water.
To 1.5 cup of jujube flavored water, add the soy sauce, sugar, and honey. Bring it to a boil and continue to boil for a minute, which will yield about 1 and 3/4 cups of seasoned water. Add the sesame oil.
Cooking options
Instant Pot
Place the rice in the Instant Pot, pour the seasoned water over the rice, and gently shake the pot to evenly spread the rice.
Add the chestnuts and jujubes on top. Do not stir. The optional pine nuts and pumpkin seeds should be added after cooking the rice to keep the texture and color better. Click the “Rice” mode. It should be 12 minutes and low pressure. Allow natural pressure release for 10 minutes. See note 4.
Electric rice cooker
Place the rice in the rice cooker, pour the seasoned water over the rice, and gently shake the pot to evenly spread the rice. Add the chestnuts and jujubes on top. Do not stir. Select the white rice cooking mode.
Final steps
Open the lid, add the optional pine nuts and pumpkin seeds and gently fluff up the rice with a rice paddle, evenly distributing the pine nuts and pumpkin seeds.
Transfer the rice into a shallow container and gently press down with a plastic wrap to shape. When it’s cooled, cut into desired serving sizes. You can also shape it into serving size rice balls with your hands or using an ice cream scoop.
How to store leftovers
Wrap serving size yaksik in a plastic wrap and freeze. Leave them out for an hour or two to defrost and briefly microwave if needed before serving. See Note 5.
Notes
If using sweetened canned chestnuts, drain the syrup well. You can also reduce the sugar a little bit as canned chestnuts are very sweet.
I use Korean soy sauce, Jin Ganjang. See my Ingredients tab at the top of the blog. The color of the final dish can vary depending on your soy sauce. If your soy sauce is light, you can use a half to one tablespoon more.
Take the time to drain the rice well for the accurate ratio of rice to water.
After 10 minutes of NPR, there's not much pressure left, but the moisture inside the pressure cooker may make the rice a bit wet.
Freeze any leftovers as soon as you can. This will stop the rice from turning stale at room temperature or in the fridge.