Name: 5-Minute Microwave Injeolm Rice Cake
Prep time: 1 min
Cook time: 4 min
Total time: 5 min
Ingredients: 100 g glutinous rice flour (Chapssalgaru) (3.5 oz); 100 g hot water (3.5 oz); 1.5 tbsp sugar; 1/4 tsp salt; 1 tbsp cooking oil (to grease the bowl and rolling pin); 5 tbsp roasted soybean powder (Konggaru)

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Microwave injeolmi is a method modern young Koreans use to make a delicious korean sweet rice cake in under 5 minutes without a steamer. Made entirely in the microwave, it remains incredibly soft and chewy, and the best part of making it yourself is you can coat it in as much roasted soybean powder as you like, haha! Korea’s biggest holiday, Chuseok, is approaching, so shall we make it together this time?

A cozy indoor setting featuring a plate of korean dessert rice cake. — The ultimate comfort Korean sweet rice cake

Make a Korean Dessert Rice Cake at Home Without a Steamer

Making microwave injeolmi is the absolute easiest recipe among Korean rice cakes that you can make as long as you have a microwave. Honestly, when I am in Korea, I have absolutely no reason to make rice cakes from scratch. But when I lived in Belgium, there was nowhere selling them, so I had no choice but to make them myself. That’s when I made it using a microwave and glutinous rice flour. This means, no matter where you live, you can make this delicious injeolmi tteok at home with your own hands in just 5 minutes. Isn’t that amazing?

Easy homemade Korean sweet rice cake, Injeolmi

How Do You Achieve the Perfect Texture in a Korean Dessert Rice Cake?

Water Temperature: Use hot water, but make sure it is not boiling hot.

Hydration: Knead while adding water little by little. Because every chapssalgaru (glutinous rice flour) has different moisture levels, the required water amount is all different. Especially in Belgium, wet glutinous rice flour was hard to find, so I used dry glutinous rice flour. At that time, I had to pour a little hot water in advance to soak the dough more, and it required a lot more water for kneading than today’s wet rice flour recipe.

Timing: Adjust the microwave time depending on how cooked your rice cake is. If the amount of rice cake is small, it can cook faster. Usually, other people microwave it for 5 minutes, but because my amount was small, it was done in 2 minutes and 30 seconds. For the second microwave round, it’s good to heat it in 30-second increments and check the doneness.

Agitation: Knead it a lot. The more you knead/pound the rice cake, the chewier it gets.

Drink Korean tea with microwave Injeolmi

What Are the Ingredients for Microwave Injeolmi?

100g / 3.5 oz wet chapssalgaru (glutinous rice flour)
100g / 3.5 oz hot water
(Note: Exact measurements aren’t strictly necessary for tteok (Korean rice cakes). Depending on the rice flour, the thickness varies as you knead, so add or reduce water accordingly.)
1.5 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp cooking oil (to grease the bowl and rolling pin)
5 tbsp roasted konggaru (soybean powder)

Simple ingredients for the microwave Injeolmi

What Are the Best Substitutions for Korean Sweet Rice Cake, Injeolmi Ingredients?

Wet Chapssalgaru: In Belgium, I’ve never seen wet glutinous rice flour. Of course, someone might say it’s somewhere, but it’s really hard to get. So you can use dry glutinous rice flour. But you have to pour a little hot water in advance, and you will need more water later when kneading.
Konggaru (Soybean Powder): Using black sesame powder instead of soybean powder is also really delicious. Or, grinding egg cakes like madeleines or castella and coating the outside with the bread crumbs is also sweet and delicious.

glutinous flour — Glutinous rice flour on Amazon👆

roasted soybean powder — Glutinous rice flour on Amazon👆

How to Make Microwave Injeolmi

Mix the sugar and salt into the chapssalgaru (glutinous rice flour).
Do not add the hot water all at once; pour it in little by little while kneading to make ikbanjuk (hot water dough). Tip: Adjust the water until you reach the desired texture. I used the full 100g / 3.5 oz. Dry glutinous rice flour requires more water.

Pouring hot water slowly from a kettle into the bowl of glutinous rice flour. — Add hot water gradually to control the hydration.

Microwave at 800w for 2 minutes. Coat a wooden rolling pin and a bowl with cooking oil, and pound the rice cake with the wooden rolling pin.

Placing the rice cake dough inside a home microwave oven — The first 2-minute session starts gelatinization.

Microwave for an additional 30 seconds. Tip: Microwaving in 30-second increments is recommended depending on how cooked your batch is.
Remove the rice cake from the microwave and knead/pound it well. The more you pound, the chewier it becomes.

Pounding the hot rice cake dough vigorously with the oiled rolling pin. — Pound the dough with force to build texture.

Shape the rice cake into a rectangle. Sprinkle roasted konggaru on a cutting board and coat the rice cake evenly.

Placing the hot rectangular rice cake dough directly onto the bed of soybean powder. — Lay the shaped dough gently onto the soy bean powder.

Cut into bite-sized pieces and enjoy.

Using a sharp kitchen knife to slice the coated rectangle into long strips.

How Long Does This Korean Sweet Rice Cake Last?

Microwave injeolmi is strictly meant to be enjoyed on the same day it is made when kept at room temperature. By the next day, it will become hard, unappetizing, and can spoil easily. Never store your Korean sweet rice cake in the refrigerator, as the cold temperature rapidly causes starch retrogradation, turning the once-soft dough rock hard. If you have leftovers, seal them tightly in an airtight container and store them in the freezer for up to one month.

Bite-sized microwave injeolmi coated in roasted soybean powder on a wooden plate. — The perfect plate of microwave injeolmi, ready to eat in under five minutes!

FAQ

It is made from glutinous rice flour, hot water, sugar, salt, and roasted soybean powder. The microwave rapidly cooks the starches, mimicking the traditional steaming process.

The word refers to a specific variety of tteok (Korean rice cake) characterized by its sticky, chewy texture and its signature coating, most commonly roasted soybean powder.

Choose pork neck instead of belly, or drain off any pooled fat halfway through cooking. Dry-Yes, this recipe is 100% vegan. It contains only plant-based ingredients: glutinous rice flour, water, sugar, salt, cooking oil, and roasted soybeans.

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By Blonde Kimchi

5-Minute Microwave Injeolm Rice Cake

Microwave injeolmi is a quick, 5-minute technique for making perfectly chewy dough coated in roasted soybean powder.

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Course: Dessert, Treats

Cuisine: Korean

Keyword: chuseok, comfort food, microwave, tteok, under 5 minutes, vegan, viral trend

Mood: Comfort

Difficulty: Easy

Prep Time:1

Cook Time:4

Total Time:5

Servings: 2 people

Calories: 376kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

100 g glutinous rice flour (Chapssalgaru) 3.5 oz
100 g hot water 3.5 oz
1.5 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp cooking oil to grease the bowl and rolling pin
5 tbsp roasted soybean powder Konggaru

Instructions

Mix the sugar and salt into the glutinous rice flour.
Do not add the hot water all at once; pour it in little by little while kneading to make ikbanjuk (hot water dough).
100 g glutinous rice flour (Chapssalgaru), 1.5 tbsp sugar, 1/4 tsp salt, 100 g hot water
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Tip: Adjust the water until you reach the desired texture. I used the full 100g / 3.5 oz. Dry glutinous rice flour requires more water.

Microwave at 800w for 2 minutes.
Coat a wooden rolling pin and a bowl with cooking oil, and pound the rice cake with the wooden rolling pin.
Microwave for an additional 30 seconds.
1 tbsp cooking oil
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Microwaving in 30-second increments is recommended depending on how cooked your batch is.

Remove the rice cake from the microwave and knead/pound it well. The more you pound, the chewier it becomes.
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Shape the rice cake into a rectangle.
Sprinkle roasted konggaru on a cutting board and coat the rice cake evenly.
5 tbsp roasted soybean powder
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Cut into bite-sized pieces and enjoy.
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