Rainbow rice cake ("mujigae ddeok")

How to make this beautiful and delicious multilayer Korean rice cake. The written recipe and photos and tips are posted on my website. http://www.maangchi.com/recipe/mujigae-ddeok


I'm going to introduce a beautiful Korean rice cake today. It's called mujigae ddeok (무지개떡). Mujigae means rainbow, so my ancestors must have got the idea for the name from a rainbow! I love it! This is an example of how they incorporated natural beauty into their everyday life. Even though the name of the rice cake is "rainbow rice cake," it is usually made with only 3-5 different colored layers. That's why this rice cake is sometimes called "colorful rice cake" (색떡, saekddeok).
In this recipe, I am using 5 different colors from bottom to top: brown, green, yellow, pink, and white.

This rice cake is made on special occasions like a baby's 1 year old birthday, or a wedding. As you see in this video, making this rice cake takes a lot of effort and time, even though the ingredients are comparatively simple. However, if you make this rice cake for someone very special in your life, you wouldn't care much about time and effort. : ) You may wish this while you're rubbing the rice flour with your palms:
"I wish my baby becomes healthy, smart, and a good, warm-hearted person!"
"I wish my parents have healthy and long life!"
"To show my love for my lovely husband (or wife) !"
Leave a comment and let me know what you wish when you make this!
Cooking time: 1.5 hours
Ingredients:
A 2 pound package of frozen rice flour, sugar, salt, water, liquid food coloring (green, pink, and yellow), lemon, mugwort powder (ssukgaru 쑥가루), cocoa powder.
Cooking utensils:
Steamer, sifter, 8 inch (20 cm) ring or springform.
Directions:
1.Thaw out frozen rice flour package and put it into a large bowl.
2. Sift the rice flour.
3. Add 10 cups of water in the bottom of a steamer, and place a wet cloth over the rack.
4. Place the 8 inch cake ring in the center of the rack.

Brown layer (the bottom layer):
1. Place 1 cup of rice flour in a medium sized bowl. Add 1 ts cocoa powder, a pinch of salt, 2 tbs of white sugar, and 4 ts of water.
2. Mix it all up and press out any wet lumps by rubbing the lumps gently between your palms.
3. Put the mixture into a sifter and sift into the center of the ring.
4. Flatten out the mixture so it sits level in the ring.
*tip: a business card works well 

Green layer:
1.Place 1½ cup of rice flour in a medium sized bowl. Add a pinch of salt, 2 tbs sugar, and 1 ts mugwort powder (ssukgaru).
*tip: you can replace mugwort powder with green tea powder 
2. Put 2 tbs of water and 1 drop of green liquid food coloring into a small bowl and mix well.
*tip: Use a chopstick to get a very little amount of the food coloring
3. Add the green water to the rice cake mixture and mix it all up. Press out any wet lumps by rubbing the lumps gently between your palms.
4. Put the mixture into a sifter and sift into the center of the ring.
5. Flatten out the mixture so it sits level in the ring.

Yellow layer:
1.Place 1½ cup of rice flour in a medium sized bowl. Add a pinch of salt and 2 tbs sugar.
2. Put 1tbs lemon juice, 1 tbs water, and 1 drop of yellow liquid food coloring into a small bowl and mix well.
3. Add the yellow water to the rice cake mixture and mix it all up. Press out any wet lumps by rubbing the lumps gently between your palms.
4. Put the mixture into a sifter and sift into the center of the ring.
5. Flatten out the mixture so it sits level in the ring.

Pink layer:
1. Place 1½ cup of rice flour in a medium sized bowl. Add a pinch of salt and 2 tbs sugar.
2. Put 2 tbs water and 1 drop of hot pink (fuchsia) liquid food coloring into a small bowl and mix well.
3. Add the pink water to the rice cake mixture and mix it all up. Press out any wet lumps by rubbing the lumps gently between your palms.
4. Put the mixture into a sifter and sift into the center of the ring.
5. Flatten out the mixture so it sits level in the ring.

White layer (the top layer):
1. Place 1 cup of rice flour in a medium sized bowl. Add a pinch of salt, 2 tbs white sugar, and 4 ts water.
2. Mix it up and press out any wet lumps by rubbing the lumps gently between your palms.
3. Put the mixture into a sifter and sift into the center of the ring.
4. Flatten out the mixture so it sits level in the ring.

Now let's garnish!
1.On the top of the cake place 5 dried cranberries to make flower petals. Put a few pine nuts in the center.
2.Cut a dried apricot into a thin strip, and place it as a flower stem.

Finally, let's steam it:
1.Close the lid of the steamer and bring to a boil for 30 minutes over high heat.
2. Turn down the heat and simmer another 5 minutes.
3. Take out the rice cake and let it cool down. Serve with tea or coffee.

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• 무지개떡
• mujigaetteok
• tteok
• maangchi korean food
• koreanrecipe
• korean recipes
• 색떡
• rainbow rice cake
• mujigae ddeok
• Korean rice cake recipe
• recipes
• cooking
• steamed rice cake
• colorful rice cake
• special occasion rice cake
• delicious
• fluffy rice cake
• tasty
• ddeok
• Maangchi's cooking
• Maangchi's recipes
• birthday cake
• birthday rice cake recipe
• party food
• kitchen
• health diet

[jema2609]

I was wondering if it would be okay to use something like no sugar KoolAid or Wylers for different colors and flavors, maybe a tsp? I'm weird that way. The original you made looks wonderful....except now I'm hungry! Thanks Maangchi....

[Maangchi]

@jema2609 I think it's a good idea! Do some experiments and let me know.

[cheybug394]

maangchi, i've always wondered, who holds the camera for you??

[Maangchi]

@cheybug394 friends and family, sometimes my readers.

[lesterspencervideos]

Thanks for this useful video!

[Maangchi]

@lesterspencervideos aww, thank you for your nice words!

[sheebasa]

You Rock!!! Love your personality and you inspire me to start making food videos :)

This Christmas I will buy myself good camera to record. I am making your steamed pork buns today except I will use freshly ground chicken :)

[ratdiddle]

very nice, but is this a Vegan cake??

[bhorowitz2534]

That cleaver is adorable :P

[devolutionone]

And there's no egg or milk in that cake! :)

[anzmilanfan]

@arthritismutilans it depends not all asians are. I wish I can meet some more like to cook, so I have something to share

[xxoravenoxx]

Manngchi! I love this so much , so little ingredients! I will make it for my little sister (7 years old) she has a strict diet (no oils or butter EVER) and she could totally eat this whole cake by herself

[sadkitty4]

it looks so pretty I want to eat it kekeke :3

[seeuther2012]

I WANT SOME SOO BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD I GOTTA MAKE THIS CAAAAAAAAAAAKE!!!!!!!!!!!!

[aRazs]

OMG! that was so much work! of course you'll be pride of yourself if you do it!