Sirutteok
Pat sirutteok, steamed tteok made with azuki bean and rice
Korean name
Hangul	시루떡
Hanja	甑餠
Revised Romanization	sirutteok
McCune–Reischauer	siruttŏk

The sirutteok is a type of tteok, Korean rice cake which is made by steaming rice or glutinous rice flour in a steamer. It was used to be steamed in a "siru" (시루, a large earthenware), so the tteok is either called "sirutteok" (시루떡) or jjineun tteok (찌는 떡, steamed tteok). It is regarded as the basic and oldest form of tteok in Korean history.^[1][2]

The main ingredients for "sirutteok" are rice (maepssal in Korean) or glutinous rice (chapssal) and sometimes they are mixed together. In some cases, other grains, beans such as azuki bean, mung bean and sesame, wheat flour or starch can be mixed with the rice. Various fruits and nuts are used as subsidiary ingredients, such as persimmon, peach or apricot, chestnut, walnut, and pine nut. In additon, vegetables with flavors or herbs can be used to favor the tteok. danggwi leaves (당귀잎; Ostericum grosseserratum), seogi mushroom (manna lichen), daikon, artemisia, pepper, and Korean wine are the examples whereas honey and sugar are used as sweeteners.^[1]

Contents 1 Ingredients 2 Varieties 3 See also 4 References

[edit] Ingredients

In order to make steamed tteok or sirutteok, rice or glutinous rice are soaked in water for a while and ground. The prepared rice flour is put in a siru and steamed. According to steaming method, sirutteok is subdivided into two groups; seolgitteok (설기떡) is shaped in one big lump whereas kyeotteok (켜떡) consists of multiple layers with azuki bean powder or other bean powder. Seolgitteok is also called muritteok (무리떡), regarded as the most basic form of sirutteok made only with rice. On the hand, in making kyeotteok, rice and glutinous rice are mixed. The name of kyeotteok derives from the adverb kyeokeyo (켜켜, literally "filed") in Korean because the tteok is made as such.^[1]

[edit] Varieties

• Baekseolgi (백설기) - a variety of siru tteok. It literally means white snow tteok which is made of white rice.
• Kongtteok (콩떡) - tteok made with various kinds of beans
• Jeungpyeon (증편) - tteok made with makgeolli (unfiltered rice wine)
• Mujigae tteok (무지개떡) [1] - literally "rainbow tteok"; this variety of tteok has colorful stripes. The tteok is used especially for janchi (잔치), Korean banquet, party, or feast like dol (celebrating a baby's first birthday), Hwangap (celebrating 60 years old people's birthday), or gyeonhon janchi (wedding party)

[edit] See also

• Songpyeon
• Korean cuisine

[edit] References