Yaksik — sticky rice with chestnut, jujube and honey
Yaksik — "medicine food" — is a Korean sticky-rice dessert: glutinous rice steamed with chestnuts, jujubes, pine nuts, soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil and honey, then pressed into shapes. The flavour is dark sweet-savoury; the texture is dense and chewy.
i. Origin & history
Yaksik dates to the Silla period (BC 57-AD 935) and is associated particularly with Daeboreum, the first full moon of the lunar year. The honey was rare and expensive in old Korea, making yaksik a sweet of unusual luxury.
ii. Ingredients
Makes 8 servings · scroll the side panel to adjust
- 500 g glutinous rice, soaked 4 hours
- 100 g peeled chestnuts
- 60 g jujubes (dried red dates), pitted
- 30 g pine nuts
- 100 g brown sugar
- 3 tbsp honey
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- Pinch salt
iii. Method
- Steam soaked glutinous rice 30 min until just tender.
- Toss with brown sugar, honey, soy, sesame oil, cinnamon and salt while hot.
- Mix in chestnuts, jujubes and pine nuts.
- Pack firmly into small individual moulds or one large bowl lined with cling film.
- Steam again for 30 minutes. Turn out and slice.
iv. Tips & common mistakes
- Use the freshest ingredients you can. The recipe relies on them.
- Read the method through first. Several steps must be ready in advance.
- Season patiently. Sweetness and salt are tuned at the end, not the start.
v. Variations
Traditional festive yaksik is steamed in a single large pot and cut into rectangles. Individual mould yaksik is contemporary. Pumpkin yaksik adds cubes of kabocha.
vi. Common questions
What is yaksik?
Yaksik is sticky rice with chestnut, jujube and honey, from korean cuisine. The flavour is dark sweet-savoury; the texture is dense and chewy
Where is yaksik from?
Yaksik is from the korean dessert tradition; the recipe and history are detailed above.
How long does yaksik keep?
See the storage note in the Quick facts panel: 4 days refrigerated.