Chewy Fresh Potato Rice Cakes (Gamja Songpyeon)
Chewy Potato Cakes & Songpyeon Made with Fresh Potatoes, No Rice Flour Needed!
We’ve made chewy potato cakes using fresh potatoes without any rice flour! This recipe is incredibly simple. Check out the video for the full process: https://youtu.be/4ItV8XoSXMc
Ingredients
- 500g Fresh Potatoes
- 280g Potato Starch
- 300g Red Beans
- 6 Tbsp Granulated Sugar
- 4-5 Tbsp Oligosaccharide
- 1 tsp Coarse Sea Salt
- 1/2 Tbsp Fine Salt
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
This recipe is very simple because you only need potatoes and potato starch if you prepare the red bean filling separately. You can also use any filling you prefer instead of red bean paste. For example, you could mash and use the abundant peas available nowadays for a unique filling.
Step 2
Let’s start by making the red bean filling. Rinse the red beans thoroughly several times. Place the beans in a pot with about 5 cups of water and boil until they are very soft and mushy. Old red beans can sometimes have an astringent taste, so it’s best to discard the first boiling water and boil them again with fresh water. However, if your red beans are fresh and good quality, you can skip the re-boiling step as the astringency dissipates when boiled with sweetness.
Step 3
When boiling the beans, maintain medium heat and cover the pot with a lid. It’s important to stir occasionally with a spatula to prevent them from sticking to the bottom and burning.
Step 4
Once the red beans are cooked until very tender, add the coarse sea salt, granulated sugar, and oligosaccharide. Continue to simmer until the mixture thickens like jam. You can adjust the sweetness to your liking. Adding oligosaccharide will give the filling a nice sheen.
Step 5
You can adjust the texture of the red bean filling to your preference. I mashed them roughly because I like to feel the texture of the beans, but you can also mash them finely with a blender or mortar, or even leave them whole.
Step 6
Now, let’s prepare the potato dough. Peel the potatoes and cut them into small pieces to ensure they cook evenly and are easy to mash later. Smaller pieces will reduce the cooking time.
Step 7
Add just enough water to cover the small potato pieces, cover with a lid, and boil until very tender. It’s crucial that the potatoes are cooked thoroughly, to the point where they can be easily pierced and fall apart with a fork. Under-cooked potatoes will result in a less chewy texture.
Step 8
Once the potatoes are fully cooked, remove the lid and switch to high heat to evaporate any remaining moisture. If the potatoes are too watery, the dough will be difficult to work with, so cook until most of the water has evaporated.
Step 9
While the potatoes are still warm (don’t let them cool completely), mash them thoroughly until there are no lumps. Using a potato masher is convenient, and passing them through a sieve will result in a smoother dough.
Step 10
To the mashed potatoes, add the potato starch and 1/2 Tbsp of fine salt, and mix them together. The amount of potato starch might need slight adjustment depending on the moisture content of your potatoes, so it’s advisable to add it gradually rather than all at once.
Step 11
To achieve a chewy texture, use hot water. Gradually pour boiling water into the potato mixture while kneading to form the dough. The amount of water needed will be between 1/2 cup and 1 cup, adjust based on the consistency of the potato mixture. Using hot water helps develop gluten, which is key to the chewy texture of the cakes.
Step 12
Once the dough starts to come together, lightly wet your hands and knead it energetically. Knead until the dough is smooth and elastic. Thorough kneading is essential to prevent the cakes from breaking apart during cooking and to ensure a chewy result.
Step 13
Take a portion of the kneaded dough, flatten it into a small disc, and place the prepared red bean filling in the center. Carefully seal the edges to enclose the filling and shape it into a songpyeon (half-moon) or any shape you prefer. Potato cakes look charming even in their rustic ‘ugly’ shapes, so don’t worry too much about perfect aesthetics.
Step 14
Arrange the shaped potato cakes on a steamer basket lined with parchment paper or cloth. Steam over boiling water for about 15 minutes, or until the cakes become translucent and cooked through. Adjust the steaming time based on the size of the cakes.
Step 15
Once steamed, immediately rinse the hot potato cakes briefly in cold water. This step helps to firm up the exterior, making them even chewier and more glutinous.
Step 16
Finally, brush a little sesame oil over the cakes to prevent them from sticking together. Your delicious and chewy summer special, Gamja Tteok (Potato Cakes or Songpyeon), is now complete! Enjoy!
