Songpyeong

Ingredients:

White dough

• 2 cups sifted mepsalkaru rice flour
• 4 tbsp boiling water + more as needed
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

Yellow dough

• 0.5 cup dried gardenia tea (about 30 g)
• 0.5 cups of boiling water
• 2 cups sifted mepsalkaru rice flour
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

Green dough

• 2 cups sifted mepsalkaru rice flour
• 5 tbsp boiling water + more as needed
• 1 tbsp. mugwort powder
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

Sesame filling

• 0.5 cups toasted sesame seeds
• 2 tbsp. granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons of honey
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

Assembly

• Rice flour mepsalkaru, for working with dough
• 2 tablespoons dark sesame oil
• Special equipment: steaming basket with a diameter of 20-25 cm, gauze

Preparation:

1. White dough:
   
   Combine the flour, boiling water, and salt in a large bowl and stir quickly with a wooden spoon until smooth. The dough will look dry at this point. Continue kneading the dough with your hands, squeezing it until it forms a ball, 5-6 minutes.
2. Try tearing off a piece of dough (1 tablespoon) and rolling it into a ball between your palms. If it falls apart while rolling, add a little more boiling water to the dough, 1 teaspoon at a time, but no more than 4 tablespoons; the dough should be slightly dry and chalky, not perfectly smooth. Be careful not to add too much water, as the dough will lose its texture during cooking. It should be slightly moist to the touch, but with some cracks in it. Continue testing the dough until the desired texture is achieved. Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes.
3. Yellow dough:
   
   Place the fruit tea in a medium bowl and pour boiling water over it. Let it steep until the water turns yellow, about 5 minutes (the intensity of the color will depend on the steeping time).
4. Combine the flour, 4 tablespoons of strained brewed tea, and salt in a large bowl and stir quickly with a wooden spoon until smooth. The dough will look dry at this point. Continue kneading the dough with your hands, squeezing until it forms a ball, 5-6 minutes.
5. Try tearing off a piece of dough (1 tablespoon) and rolling it into a ball between your palms. If it falls apart while rolling, add a little more boiling water to the dough, 1 teaspoon at a time, but no more than 4 tablespoons; the dough should be slightly dry and chalky, not perfectly smooth. Be careful not to add too much water, as the dough will lose its texture during cooking. It should be slightly moist to the touch, but with some cracks in it. Continue testing the dough until the desired texture is achieved. Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes.
6. Green dough:
   
   Combine the flour, boiling water, mugwort powder, and salt in a large bowl and stir quickly with a wooden spoon until smooth. The dough will look dry at this point. Continue kneading the dough with your hands, squeezing it until it forms a ball, about 5-6 minutes.
7. Try tearing off a piece of dough (1 tablespoon) and rolling it into a ball between your palms. If it falls apart while rolling, add a little more boiling water to the dough, 1 teaspoon at a time, but no more than 4 tablespoons; the dough should be slightly dry and chalky, not perfectly smooth. Be careful not to add too much water, as the dough will lose its texture during cooking. It should be slightly moist to the touch, but with some cracks in it. Continue testing the dough until the desired texture is achieved. Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes.
8. Filling:
   
   In a medium bowl, combine 1/4 cup sesame seeds, sugar, honey, and salt. Grind the remaining 1/4 cup sesame seeds in a spice grinder. Add the ground seeds to the mixture in the bowl and stir. The filling should be slightly crumbly but stick together when squeezed in your hand. Set aside.
9. Assembly:
   
   Lightly dust a baking sheet with rice flour. In a large bowl, combine 2 cups of water with sesame oil to make a coating for the songpyeon. Set aside.
10. Fill a large saucepan large enough to fit a 20-25 cm diameter basket with a few centimeters of water (the water should not touch the bottom of the basket) and bring to a boil over high heat. Place the steamer basket inside and line it with damp cheesecloth.
11. Meanwhile, working with one color of dough at a time (the rest of the dough should be wrapped), tear off about 1 tablespoon (about 30 grams) of dough and roll it into a ball (it's okay if there are small cracks). Gently press the ball with your thumb to create an indentation. Rotate the ball with your thumb in the indentation, forming a thimble shape and flattening the dough to a thickness of about 0.5 cm. Fill the dough with 0.5-3/4 teaspoon of sesame filling and gently press down on the filling. Pinch the edges of the dough to seal the filling inside. Roll the dough into a smooth ball, being careful not to tear it. Place the ball on a flat surface and pinch opposite ends together at the top to form a thin fin. Place each songpyeon on the prepared baking sheet, fin side up, and cover tightly with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.
12. Songpyeon may spread while sitting on the baking sheet, so you can round them out again just before steaming. Place as many songpyeon as will fit in the steamer, flip-side up, making sure they don't touch each other. Cover and steam until the rice dough is slightly translucent, about 20 minutes. Open the steamer basket and carefully lift the hot songpyeon with chopsticks or tongs and lower them into the prepared water and oil, then transfer to a plate. Cook the remaining songpyeon in the same way. Serve warm or at room temperature.
13. You can find meppsalkara rice flour in Korean grocery stores. It's different from regular glutinous rice flour, so be sure to look for meppsalkara. Thaw frozen meppsalkara slightly at room temperature (at least 30 minutes) and sift it for songpyeon. After 30 minutes, the flour will still be lumpy, so stir it with a spoon before sifting. Store leftover meppsalkara in the freezer. Don't leave it at room temperature for too long, or it will dry out.
    
    Gardenia tea and mugwort powder can be purchased at Korean grocery stores.