A glossy, mahogany-dark Korean sweet rice cake of steamed glutinous rice studded with chestnuts, jujubes, and pine nuts, glazed with honey, brown sugar, soy and sesame oil. Dense, sticky and festive, it is cut into squares for holidays and celebrations.
A celebratory dish traditionally eaten on Jeongwol Daeboreum (the first full moon) and at weddings and hwangap birthdays, with roots in Silla-era legend; documented across Korea.
Chewy and intensely sticky, each square is deeply sweet with toffee and honey notes and a savory whisper of soy. Soft chestnuts, jammy jujubes and buttery pine nuts break up the dense rice, while sesame oil ties it together with a warm nuttiness.
Soaking and steaming fully gelatinizes the glutinous starch so the rice turns sticky and translucent, and the second steam after pressing fuses the grains into a sliceable block. Soy and brown sugar add color and a salty-sweet depth that balances the honey.
Variations
Versions with raisins or dried persimmon, individually steamed in small cups, less-sweet savory-leaning versions, modern additions of walnuts or sunflower seeds.
On the Palate
Where Yaksik sits in the Korean flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 6
How it's made
8 steps · 30 min
- 1120 min
Soak glutinous rice in water for at least two hours, then drain.
- 230 min
Steam the soaked rice until tender and sticky throughout.
Watch outSteam until every grain turns translucent and sticky right through — a chalky white core means it's underdone and won't fuse into a sliceable block later.
- 38 min
Melt brown sugar with water into a dark caramel-like syrup.
Watch outCook the sugar to a dark amber caramel, but pull it before it smokes — a shade too far and it turns bitter and muddies the whole dish.
- 45 min
Toss the hot steamed rice with the syrup, soy sauce and sesame oil.
- 56 min
Fold in halved chestnuts, pitted sliced jujubes and pine nuts.
- 64 min
Drizzle in honey and a little cinnamon and mix until evenly colored.
- 725 min
Press the mixture firmly into a lined pan and steam again to set.
Watch outPress it down really firmly before the second steam — packed tight is what fuses the grains so it slices clean instead of crumbling apart.
- 815 min
Cool until firm, then cut into neat squares or diamonds to serve.
