Chewy and Savory Sweet Rice and Sorghum Pancakes (Bukkumi)
How to Easily Make Soft, Chewy, and Delicious Sorghum Sweet Rice Pancakes (Tteok) at Home!
This recipe shows you how to easily make traditional Sorghum Sweet Rice Pancakes (Bukkumi) at home. We’ll use leftover sorghum and sweet rice flour to create a wonderfully chewy and soft dough, then fill it with sweet red bean paste and pan-fry it to a perfect golden brown. This makes a delightful treat that everyone from kids to adults will love. You can choose to make them thick and chewy like tteok, or thin like jeon (pancakes). They are easier to make than you might think, so give it a try!
Sorghum Sweet Rice Bukkumi Ingredients
- 400g Red Beans
- 600g Sorghum
- 450ml Water
- Pinch of Sea Salt
- 3 Tbsp Corn Syrup (or Sugar)
- 400g Sweet Rice Flour
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
① Soak the Red Beans and Sorghum: Soak 400g of red beans in water for about a day until ready. Rinse 600g of sorghum and soak it in water for 2 hours. Properly soaking the ingredients will enhance the texture and flavor of your bukkumi.
Step 2
② Grind the Sorghum Finely: Place the soaked sorghum into a blender and grind it until fine. It might clump up, so use a spatula to stir it occasionally while blending. For a smoother and chewier bukkumi, you can strain the ground sorghum through a fine sieve before using. Any sorghum that didn’t grind well can be put back into the blender and ground again.
Step 3
③ Make the Chewy Tteok Dough: Divide the ground sorghum mixture in half. For the chewy ‘tteok’ (rice cake) style dough, combine half of the ground sorghum with 1 tablespoon of corn syrup (for sweetness), a pinch of sea salt (for seasoning), and about half a cup of water (100ml). Using apple-flavored corn syrup adds a subtle fruitiness. You can substitute sugar for corn syrup if preferred. Gradually add warm water while mixing to achieve a thick, tteok-like consistency. Since sorghum alone can lack chewiness, adding sweet rice flour will result in a more elastic and soft dough. Once the dough is ready, cover it with plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. This resting period helps prevent the bukkumi from breaking while cooking.
Step 4
④ Make the Thin Jeon Dough: For the thinner ‘jeon’ (pancake) style bukkumi, use the other half of the sorghum mixture. Add a pinch of sea salt for seasoning and about one cup of water (250ml). Start by adding only half of the water (125ml) and mix. Gradually add the remaining water as needed until you reach a thin batter consistency, suitable for making thin pancakes. Once the batter is thin, mix in one cup of sweet rice flour (200g) until well combined. Personally, I find the thin sorghum bukkumi jeon easier to make and equally delicious, so I recommend this style for convenience.
Step 5
⑤ Prepare the Sweet Red Bean Paste Filling: Boil 400g of red beans in a pot, then discard the water. Add enough fresh water to cover the beans and cook them in a pressure cooker until tender. This method ensures the beans are soft but not overly watery, preventing a mushy filling. Once cooked, mash the hot beans with a fork or process them in a blender. Mix the mashed beans with 2 tablespoons of corn syrup (or sugar) to create a sweet filling. Corn syrup offers a milder and deeper sweetness compared to sugar.
Step 6
⑥ Pan-fry the Sorghum Sweet Rice Bukkumi: In a pan, combine equal parts of grapeseed oil (or any cooking oil) and sesame oil. Heat the pan over medium heat. For the thin ‘jeon’ style, pour a ladleful of the prepared thin sorghum batter into the hot pan and cook like a regular pancake. Once the batter is partially set, spoon a generous amount of red bean paste filling onto one half. Fold the pancake in half and cook until both sides are golden brown and crispy. For the thick ‘tteok’ style, take a portion of the chewy tteok dough, flatten it, place the red bean paste filling in the center, and carefully enclose the filling to form a round shape. Gently press it down like making a hotteok (Korean sweet pancake). Both types should be cooked over medium heat to ensure they cook through without burning. Flip them frequently to achieve even browning. Your delicious Sorghum Sweet Rice Bukkumi is ready! It’s much easier than you might think, so be sure to try making it!
