Every fall, my family celebrates Chuseok, a Korean Autumn Eve “Thanksgiving” where we make and eat celebratory foods like rice cakes, savory pancakes and my personal favorite, yaksik (also 약식 or 약밥) a traditional Korean steamed sticky-rice dish sweetened with brown sugar and mixed with chestnuts, jujubes, raisins and pine nuts. This Sweet Soy Sauce Granola with Chestnuts is my take on incorporating all those delicious Asian flavors to granola, the breakfast staple.
What is Yakshik
Yaksik (also 약식 or 약밥) a traditional Korean steamed sticky-rice dish sweetened with brown sugar and mixed with chestnuts, jujubes, raisins and pine nuts. It’s often eaten during Chuseok, a Korean Autumn Eve “Thanksgiving” which takes place at the beginning of fall.
HERE ARE THE INGREDIENTS USED TO MAKE THIS GRANOLA RECIPE
**I’ve linked some of these ingredients to amazon.com to give you an idea of what they are, but you should also be able to find them in your local grocery store (usually, the natural & organic food section). They are also affiliate links, which means that I earn a commission as an Amazon Associate if you decide to purchase the items. The price will be the same for you, link or no link
- Oatmeal – You can use old-fashioned (rolled) or quick-cooking oats, but I wouldn’t recommend using steel cut for this recipe. If you want to keep this strictly gluten-free (some oats are produced in the same facility as wheat), be sure to buy the one with the GF label like this one.
- Soy Sauce – I used the dark soy sauce, like this one
- Dark Granulated Sugar – You can use any dark granulated sugar of your choice in this recipe but coconut, date and maple sugars which are healthier alternatives to regular brown sugar. For the lower carb, lower calorie option, you can use a sugar-free substitute such as monk fruit sweetener or, stevia powder (but you’ll have to convert the amount of stevia according to package directions).
- Sesame Oil – I used a Korean brand sesame oil for this recipe, but you can also try using olive oil, avocado oil, or regular canola oil. If you want to reduce the added oils in this recipe, you can also leave it out.
- Chestnuts – these can be bought online, pre roasted, shelled and ready to eat. You can find them on Amazon, like below:
More Oatmeal Recipes
How to Make
Sweet Soy Sauce Granola with Chestnuts
STEP 1
Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl until well combined.
STEP 2
Spread out the oat mixture in a thin layer on a parchment lined sheet pan, and bake in a 300F preheated oven for 20 minutes.
Take the sheet pan out of the oven and turn over the entire mixture with a silicone spatula to help the granola dry out evenly.
STEP 3
Bake 10 minutes more until the oats look well toasted, then remove from oven and cool to room temperature.
STEP 4
Add the pine nuts and raisins.
What are some ways you can eat these?
- Sprinkled over yogurt or a smoothie bowl
- LIke cereal – just add milk
- As is, like a snack
How to Store
- Once completely cooled, you can store this sweet and salty miso granola covered at room temperature in an airtight container – typically for 3-5 days. For longer storage, you can place them in a plastic freezer bag or airtight container to store in the fridge or freezer up to 3 months.
Final Tips
- Baking time of this granola recipe will vary based on your oven temperature, how thinly pread out you baked the granola, as well as if you’ve used parchment or silicone mats to line your pan. So keep an eye on them towards the end of the baking process. You may need to add a few more minutes depending on how moist the granola turns out.
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Sweet Soy Sauce Granola
Ingredients
- 1 cup old fashioned oats
- 1/4 cup chestnuts
- 2 Tbsp soysauce
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 3 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1/4 cup pinenuts
- 3 Tbsp raisins
Instructions
- Mix all the ingredients except the pine nuts and raisins in a large bowl until well combined.
- Spread out the oat mixture in a thin layer on a parchment lined sheet pan
- Bake in a 300F preheated oven for 20 minutes
- Take the sheet pan out of the oven and turn over the entire mixture with a silicone spatula to help the granola dry out evenly.
- Bake 10 minutes more until the oats look well toasted, then remove from oven and cool to room temperature. Stir in the pine nuts and raisins into the mixture.
- After the granola is completely cooled, you can store in an airtight container.
Nutrition
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