15+ Korean Chuseok Foods You Must Try
Chuseok food is at the core of Korea’s chuseok festival. Celebrate the Korean “Thanksgiving Day” with these 15 traditional Korean Chuseok recipes.
Happy Chuseok!
Chuseok (추석), also known as Hangawi (한가위), is a traditional Korean holiday for expressing appreciation for the fall harvest. Often described as the Korean “Thanksgiving Day,” Chuseok falls on the 15th day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar.
Chuseok Tradition
Chuseok is a day of celebration during which families and close relatives gather together to hold ancestral rituals and share family stories. Families give thanks and offer tributes to their ancestors for their blessings.
Another great tradition is making a wish during the full moon (보름달), a much-anticipated event.
Just like any other major Korean holiday, food plays a great role in the Chuseok festival. Families spend a great deal of time preparing Korean traditional dishes with newly harvested grains.
You will find many traditional Korean chuseok foods when you visit a Korean household during the holiday. Namul (나물, three color vegetable salad) and songpyeon (송편, rice cakes filled with sweet fillings) are perhaps the most iconic chuseok foods.
Along with them, here are 15 other classic chuseok recipes you must know and try.
15+ Korean Chuseok Foods
Easy Japchae (Korean Glass Noodles)
Galbi Jjim (Korean Braised Beef Short Ribs)
And there you have it – 15+ Korean Chuseok Foods that you can enjoy with your loved ones during Korean Thanksgiving holiday! Happy Chuseok!
15+ Korean Chuseok Foods: Easy Korean Rice Punch Recipe (Sikhye)
Ingredients
- 3 cup barley malt
- 12 cup warm water
- 2 cup cooked rice
- 3-4 slices ginger (1/4-inch thick), optional
- 1 1/2 – 2 cup sugar
- a few dried jujube flowers , to garnish, optional
- a few pine nuts, to garnish, optional
Equipment
- instant pot or rice cooker
- linen or cotton pouch See note #1 below
Instructions
- If using a clean fabric pouch, either cotton or linen, put malt barley in a pouch and tie up with a string and secure very tightly. Put the pouch in a bowl of warm water. See note #1 if you don't use a fabric pouch.
- While the pouch is in the water, manually press and squeeze the pouch multiple times to squeeze out the malt powder from the barley so it can mix with the water. Do this for about 1-2 minutes. Squeeze out the pouch tightly to get all the good juices out. Discard the malt barley left inside the pouch.
- Let the malt barley water sit for at least 30 minutes. The starch will sink to the bottom. Then carefully, without shaking the bowl, pour the malt water into another bowl leaving the sunken starch behind. Be careful not to let the starch fall in. (A little bit going in is okay.) Discard the starch.
- Put cooked rice in the instant pot (or rice cooker) bowl and break up the grain briefly with a rice spatula. You can adjust the amount of rice as you wish. Pour the strained malt water over the rice. Cover with a lid and set your instant pot on the Keep Warm setting. The fermenting time can vary from 4-8 hours depending on the heat level of your appliance. An instant pot can take about 4-5 hours; a rice cooker might take longer. Hint: If you see a few grains of rice floating on top, that’s a good sign that the rice punch is well fermented. If you don’t see any rice floating, wait 1-2 more hours. You do not want to wait more than 8 hours because the rice will spoil.
- Add a desired amount of sugar and ginger slices (if using) and bring the punch to boil and cook for 5 minutes. Use the “Saute” setting for an instant pot. If using a rice cooker, you will need to transfer the punch to a pot and boil it on the stove. Skim off any debris or foam from the top of punch with a skimmer.
- Allow the punch to cool completely. Transfer the punch into plastic or glass containers, and store them in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Shikye also freezes well. Pour the punch into freezer safe bottles or containers and freeze up to 3 months.
To garnish the rice punch
- Collect a few scoops of rice from the bottom of the punch and soak them in cold water for later use. See note #2.
- Pour the rice punch in a serving bowl or glass. Add a tablespoon of rinsed rice, dried jujube flowers, and pine nuts (if using).