Article by Gil "hannaone"
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Image by hannaone: Pat Sirutteok

팥시루떡 

In Korea, it is a common practice to make and share rice cake made with red beans. This is rooted in the traditional belief that red beans have the power to ward off evil spirits. The color of these beans was thought to represent yang energy, believed to be capable of purging negative yin forces and preventing illnesses. As a result, sirutteok (rice cake) with red beans became a popular choice for marking important occasions such as banquets, 100-day celebrations for infants, birthdays, launching new businesses or moving into a new home. It was believed that consuming this rice cake would bring good fortune.

"Record of Seasonal Customs in the Eastern Kingdom" (Dongguk Sesigi) records that farmers would make this rice cake with newly harvested crops to perform shamanic or religious rituals, or gosa, especially on Ipdong, which is the "Onset of Winter."

The rice is soaked and ground, then placed in a steamer and topped with strained beans. The recipe varies depending on what ingredients are added to the rice powder or what type of toppings are added. In spite of all the variations, pat sirutteok, also known as red bean steamed rice cake, is the best known.

Additionally, this dish was enjoyed on other solar term days, including Dongji, which marks the winter solstice and the shortest day of the year. The lunar calendar calls Dongji "Ae-dongji" when it falls between Nov. 1 and 10. Instead of red bean porridge, the typical seasonal food of Dongji, people would eat red bean steamed rice cakes on Ae-dongji.

To make the red bean steamed rice cake sweeter, radishes were added to the recipe in the court kitchen, according to the Institute of Traditional Korean Food.

Ingredients
1 pound sweet rice
1 pound red beans
2 tablespoons brown sugar or sugar
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon sea salt

Equipment:
Masher
Grain mill or high speed quality coffee grinder
Large Steamer


Directions
Wash the rice in cold water, then soak for about 5 hours up to overnight.
Place rice in a sieve or mesh basket, rinse well, and let drain until water no longer drips from the rice.
Place rice into blender/mill in parts to keep from bogging the machine down, and grind until fine. You may need to stop and scrape sides to move stuck rice. 

Wash the red beans in cold water, then soak for two hours.
Rinse well, then place in a pot and add enough water to submerge the beans.
Bring to a simmer, add the salt, sugar, and honey, stir well, and cook until tender - about 1 1/2 hours.
Transfer the cooked beans to a large mixing bowl, then do a rough mash, leaving most of then beans whole or just slightly mashed.

Line steamer pan with steaming paper or clean lint free cotton cloth. A cake circle will make the next part much easier.
Place the circle in the center of the steamer tray, on top of the cloth or paper. The circle should leave a gap between the side of the steamer and the circle. Start with a layer of rice flour spread evenly inside the circle, then beans, rice flour and end with a layer of beans on top.

Without cake circle start with a layer of beans leaving room at the edges for steam to come through, then a layer or rice flour then a layer of beans, ending with a layer of rice flour. (depending on the size of your steamer you may need 2 or more steamer trays)

Bring water to a boil in your steamer, then place the tray(s) in and cover. Steam for about an hour to about 1 1/2 hours (depends on number of trays).

Open the cloth out and if you used a cake circle carefully pull the cloth from under the rice cake and remove the cake circle. 
Otherwise, turn the steamer tray(s) upside down on a kitchen board or counter top, remove the tray, and carefully remove the cloth or paper.

Cut into sections and serve warm or at room temperature, or individually wrap the sections and freeze for later.




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