Making Korean Dessert: Hobaktteok Rice Cake

Today we're going to make a traditional Korean dessert called hobaktteok, which is a rice cake made from butternut squash. I've invented a special method for making this dish that's very easy and fun to follow.

Before we start making the hobaktteok, let's prepare the butternut squash filling. We need half a cup of cooked butternut squash for this recipe. To cook the squash, wash it well and remove the seeds and any stringy stuff. Then, place the squash in a heavy pan with one cup of water on the bottom, cover it, and cook over medium-low heat until the squash is tender. This should take about 30 minutes.

Once the squash is cooked, scoop out the flesh and set it aside to cool down. Now, let's make the lemon filling. We need some lemon zest for this recipe. If you don't have a zester, you can use a knife to slice the lemon thinly and then grate it over a bowl. Squeeze the juice of one tablespoon of lemon into a small bowl and add one teaspoon of salt and two tablespoons of sugar.

Now, let's prepare our steamer. I'm using a large steamer with a tin pot that has a built-in function for steaming food. Fill the bottom of the pot with six cups of water and place a steamer rack inside. We'll be using this steamer to cook our hobaktteok.

Next, let's make the rice flour mixture. We need two cups of rice flour, which is called ssalgaru in Korean. This type of flour is made from short-grain rice and is not long-grain rice like chapssalgaru. It's a bit harder to find than other types of flour, but it's worth looking for because it gives our hobaktteok its unique texture.

To make the rice flour mixture, we need to sift it three times to remove any lumps or hard stuff that might be in the flour. We also need to add one tablespoon of lemon juice and one tablespoon of water to the flour to give it a bit more flavor and moisture. Finally, let's add two tablespoons of sugar to the mixture.

Now that we have our ingredients ready, let's start making the hobaktteok. First, we'll mix together the cooked butternut squash, rice flour, lemon filling, and sugar in a large bowl until everything is well combined. Then, we'll divide the mixture into two equal parts and shape each part into a small cake.

To cook our hobaktteok, we'll place them on the steamer rack over boiling water and steam them for 30 minutes over medium-high heat. While we're waiting for the hobaktteok to cook, let's talk about how this dessert is typically made in Korea. In traditional recipes, the squash is just boiled until it's soft, then mixed with rice flour and other ingredients to make a dough-like mixture that's molded into small cakes.

Now, our hobaktteok are done cooking! We can see that they're nice and fluffy on top, and they look delicious too. Let's take one out of the steamer and taste it. Wow, this is amazing! The combination of flavors and textures is so unique and delicious. I love how the butternut squash adds a creamy texture to the hobaktteok, while the lemon filling gives it a nice tanginess.

To enjoy our hobaktteok, we can eat them on their own or with a cup of tea like rose tea. In Korea, this dessert is often served at special occasions and is considered a traditional treat. I'm so glad that I could share this recipe with you today and teach you how to make it yourself.

If you have any leftover hobaktteok after eating them, don't worry! They'll keep for up to one month in the freezer, and all you need to do is thaw them out at room temperature or reheat them in the microwave. Just be sure to wrap them tightly in plastic wrap before freezing so they stay fresh.

And that's it for today's recipe! I hope you enjoyed making hobaktteok with me, and I'd love to hear from you if you have any questions or comments about this traditional Korean dessert. Happy cooking, and see you next time on Maangchi TV!

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: en(upbeat music)- Hi everybody!Today let's make Koreandessert, rice cake.Rice cake called hobaktteok.Hobak is a squash.I'm going to use butternut squash.I invented this specialmethod for you guys,very very easily you can make it.I'm using the ramekin, kind of a cupand just the steam it.Usually Korean rice cake, when we steam,bottom part should be opened so that whenyou steam this, allsteam going up and thenrice cake is going to be cooked.You remember when Imade rainbow rice cake?I used this kind of youknow some spring form,and then open.I could steam this one, like this,but not many people have this kind ofa nice spring form.So I just developed this recipe.Works so perfectly, I can't wait to sharethis recipe with you guys!Before making rice cake,let's make butternut squashfilling first.We need only half a cup butternut,cooked butternut squash.So this is my butternutsquash, and I'm going touse a small one.So let's wash this.And then cut.So take out all seeds and something likekind of a stringy stuff.And put this in heavy pan.And then one cup of water.So when you put one cupof water, on the bottom,not in the hollow part.Cover this.Between medium and low,and I'm going to cook this until all thisbutternut squash is well tender andthen easily we can scoop out.So it takes around 30 minutes.Next, I'm going to use this lemon.lemon zest.Really pretty, ooh smells so good.If you don't have this kind of a tool,you can use just a knifeand slice thinly and then makeit really thin, thinly slice.Then you can make this lemon zest.So, I need to squeeze this.Don't throw away.I alway put this in thecold water and drink.We should not waste this.Okay 30 minutes passed,See?And this looks really tender.Scoop out.Here.(upbeat music)This is beautiful golden color.Half a cup, put it in a pot.I'm going to make this more tastySweet and just a little lemon flavor.Lemon juice one tablespoon.And then this is honey.Honey or sugar, I'mgoing to add a quarter cup.It should be sweet.I'm going to cook and keep stirringwith wooden spoon to remove some moisture.Meanwhile, let's prepare my steamer.I have a really hugesteamer, small steamer,this is a really...I love this one, you know, tin pot.But it has a function,this thing, I can steam.So six cups of water I'll add.Steamer rack here.And then let's see.It's butternut squash.And if you find some lump, just mash.Keep stirring around five minutes.Until it looks a littleshiny and looks likesome applesauce consistency.Golden color.And then that's it, turn off.Next let's boil water.It takes around twelve minutesto in six cups boilingand the meanwhile, Iwill bring my rice flour.Eventually, rice cake.When you make rice cake, weneed rice flour isn't it?This is rice flour.Called ssalgaru.Naengdong ssalgaru, naendong means frozen.It's a frozen rice flourmade with short-grain rice.Not long-grain rice.It was always the frozen sectionyou can find this easily,but don't get mixed up with chapssalgaru,glutinous rice flour.So this is ssal ga ru.When I bought this, it was very hardbecause it was frozen.But I brought home andthen kept in the refrigerator.And then now, veryeasily, I can handle this.We are going to use two cups.So you should find areally coarse strainer.And one more.Leftover?Always keep in the freezer, sonext time you can use again.Look at this!We are going to do two times.Always you need to sift this way.Because the reason isthat we need remove thiskind of a hard stuff,and also make it reallywe give the air.Make it airy.And then, one more time.Nice, very fine flour.And now, one more time.I'm going to add lemonjuice, one tablespoon.Water, one tablespoon.Quarter teaspoon salt.Sugar, two tablespoons.So now we have to use both hands.We are going to make it all this onewell mixed, using both hands.Smells like lemony a little.great.And then I'm going to sift it again.So make it airy.Look at that, it looks like snow.Isn't in the wintertime, snow?Let me taste it just a little bit.Mm.Not very sweet, but a little like tangy.And nice.So we need this guy.And then, put them here, these.This lemon zest we are going to use.Okay first, we are going toput it just on the bottom.So about one or two teaspoons.And then, rice flour.It should be airy.On top.Isn't it pretty already?Same thing.And then, lemon zest.Ready to steam!My water is boiling.close.I'm going to steam this for 30 minutes,over medium high heat.And then it'll be done.See you soon!And also, this is my rose tea.Hobaktteok and rose tea go well together.My rice cake is done!Wow.Rice cake.Three cups!Well done!We made hobaktteok.I'm going to taste it, let's taste it.Wow.See?Can you see that?Oh my, look at that.It's like snow.Hot!So tasty and sweet, tangy, and alsolike the zest, lemon zest,the flavor together.This is really awesome.And also fluffy!Cheers everybody.Very good.This is my kind of invention,of my hobaktteok becausemore traditional way is thathobak, it was just a squashyou just boil this, and then laterscooping out, then the mixturewith rice flour togetheryou mix these.So rice flour, coloris a little yellowish.This is cup rice cake, but not very sweetso we really enjoy thefluffiness and chewiness.You have leftover tteok, rice cake goreally hard quickly.Just wait until cool down, and thenwrap this in the plasticwrap and keep in the freezer.So when you freeze this, and it should bestill very fresh fluffy.Up to one month, youcan keep in the freezer,then take it out, just thawout at the room temperature.Or, reheat with a microwaveand it'll turn outso fluffy.Today we made hobaktteok,squash rice cake.Lemon-flavored, Maangchi style!How would you like it?So make this and share thiswith your friends and familyand plus you can tell, \"ohthis is Korean hobaktteokI made.\"Many people will be impressed.We don't use anydairy stuff here.Enjoy my recipe, see you next time!Bye!(upbeat music)\n"