Soft, chewy and incredibly fragrant, mugwort songpyeon (쑥송편) is one of my favorite Korean desserts and something I always make with my mom during the Mid-Autumn Festival (Chuseok) as a part of our family tradition. While the traditional songpyeon only uses rice flour, mugwort powder and water, I wanted to come up with a healthier, more wholesome recipe for these rice cake treats.
Introducing – sweet potato mugwort songpyeon. This recipe uses sweet potatoes to replace almost half of the rice flour that’s added to a traditional rice cake recipe. I also added the tapioca flour to preserve some of the chewiness that gets lost when the sweet potatoes get added. The result? A soft and chewy mugwort songpyeon that’s a bit more tender but so much healthier. Keep reading to see the step-by-step recipe with images!
Ingredients Used to Make Healthier Mugwort Songpyeon
**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 🙂
- Asian Sweet Potato – You’ll need Asian mashed sweet potatoes for this recipe (also called Japanese Sweet Potatoes ). While you’re welcome to use other varieties of sweet potatoes, orange and purple sweet potatoes aren’t recommended since they’ll affect the final color of the mugwort songpyeon. If you don’t have Asian sweet potatoes, you can also use regular non-sweet mashed potatoes like a russet potato.
Note: While you can steam or bake the sweet potatoes, I used the microwave to cook the sweet potatoes in just about 10 minutes! Here’s the shortcut microwave method.
- White Rice Flour – finely ground, like this one which you can find in many Asian grocery stores or this one from Bob’s Red Mill. Rice flour is NOT the same thing as Sweet Rice Flour or Glutinous Rice Flour, and also not interchangeable!
- Tapioca flour (flour but also called tapioca starch) – Arrowroot starch and Potato starch can also be used instead. I DO NOT recommend using cornstarch for this recipe.
- Mugwort Powder – For this recipe, I used the powdered mugwort powder that I purchased on Amazon (here). While it’s always better to cook with the fresh herb, mugwort isn’t available in all seasons, so using the powder is a great way to make these recipes without having to go to wait for the spring.
What I Used for the Filling
- Mung Bean Paste – Mung beans are not commonly sold in stores in the paste form, so, unfortunately, you do have to start from the dried beans—but I think it’s worth the extra time and effort. Homemade mung bean paste is easy to make and so much healthier than storebought bean pastes or lotus pastes since the homemade kind uses less sugar and is also free from preservatives and other additives. Dried mung beans are readily available in Asian grocery stores and also online (Amazon link here)
- To make the mung beans: Here’s my recipe for the 2-ingredient sweet mung bean paste (link to recipe)!
Here’s a Step by Step Guide
How to Make Healthier Mugwort Songpyeon
STEP 1
First, prepare the filling by rolling the mung bean paste filling into tablespoon sized balls (about 25 g each). Set aside.
STEP 2
In a large mixing bowl, mix tapioca flour, rice flour and mugwort powder with the mashed Asian sweet potatoes
STEP 3
Knead all the ingredients together until you get a smooth and supple dough, about 2 minutes. (Add 1/2 to 1 Tbsp of water if the dough seems too dry or crumbly. We want the dough to be smooth and supple).
***I added 1/2 Tbsp of water since I cooked my sweet potatoes in the microwave which dries them out
STEP 4
1. Divide the dough into 20 roughly-equal sized pieces and roll them into balls.
2-3. Flatten the mugwort dough piece into a thin disk using the palms of your hands, and place about 25g of the mung bean paste filling in the middle.
4-6. Fold the mugwort disc in half and seal the ends using your fingertips.
7-8. Press the thumb and index finger around the ends to shape into the crescent shape.
STEP 5
Place the mugwort songpyeon on a steam paper or paper-towel lined steamer and cook over boiling water set at medium heat for 15 minutes until the songpyeon looks glossy.
STEP 6
Once done, remove songpyeon from the steamer using tongs and dip each of them into a prepared oil-water mixture so that the songpyeon are well coated (this keeps them from sticking)
STEP 7
Serve when cooled to room temperature. Enjoy!
Different Filling Options
If you want to enjoy these rice cakes with a variety of fillings, there are many fun and delicious filling options to choose from. Here are some ideas!
- Shiro-an (sweetened white bean paste) – on Amazon, here, or here’s a Shortcut White Bean Paste Recipe I make when I’ve run out of Shiro An
- Koshi-an (sweetened red bean paste) – on Amazon, here. You can also make your own using the blender method here
How to Store Korean Sweet Potato Mugwort Songpyeon
- These rice cakes can be kept covered at room temperature for up to 1-2 days.
- For longer storage, place in an airtight container lined with parchment paper in a single layer and freeze for up to 3 months.
- To reheat, microwave for 1-2 minutes or re-steam for about 10 minutes.
NOTE ON SUBSTITUTIONS
- Unfortunately, wheat flours and glutinous rice flours cannot be substituted for the white rice flour in this recipe.
- While you’re welcome to use other varieties of sweet potatoes, orange and purple sweet potatoes aren’t recommended since they’ll affect the final color of the mugwort songpyeon. If you don’t have Asian sweet potatoes, you can also use regular non-sweet mashed potatoes like a russet potato.
TIPS
- Don’t overstuff the rice cakes with the filling since the filling tends to expand while steaming.
Sweet Potato Mugwort Songpyeon (고구마 쑥송편)
Ingredients
Rice Cake
- 300 g mashed sweet potato , from about 2 medium sweet potatoes
- 50 g rice flour
- 100 g tapioca flour
- 2 Tbsp mugwort powder
Filling
- 500 g MUNG BEAN PASTE FILLING , or other filling of choice such as red bean paste or white bean paste. (click link to go to recipe).
Instructions
- First, prepare the filling by rolling the mung bean paste filling into tablespoon sized balls (about 25 g each). Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix tapioca flour, rice flour and mugwort powder
- Add the mashed sweet potatoes and 1/2 Tbsp water, and knead all the ingredients together until you get a smooth and supple dough, about 2 minutes
- Divide the dough into 20 roughly-equal sized pieces and roll them into balls. Cover with a wet paper towel to keep from drying out
- Flatten the mugwort dough piece into a thin disk using the palms of your hands, and place about 25g of the mung bean paste filling in the middle.
- Fold the mugwort disc in half and seal the ends using your fingertips.
- Press the thumb and index finger around the ends to shape into the crescent "songpyeon" shape.
- Place the mugwort songpyeon on a steam paper lined steamer and cook over boiling water set at medium heat for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare the oil-water bath by mixing 2 cups of water with 2 tsp of sesame oil (or olive oil) in a small bowl,
- Remove songpyeon from the steamer using tongs and dip each of them into the prepared oil-water mixture so that the songpyeon are well coated (this keeps them from sticking)
- Enjoy!
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