Small-Batch Home Tteok Without a Siru

Line a metal pot with cheesecloth, add 2 cm water, and set a heat-proof bowl inverted as a trivet if you lack a rack; batter in a cake pan on top, lid wrapped in a towel to catch drip, steam 22–28 minutes. That towel is half the technique — without it, condensation pocks the surface.

For small injeolmi, microwave chapssal dough 2 minutes, pound in a stand mixer with dough hook 6 minutes, and cut — imperfect versus traditional steaming but recognizable for home snack. Expect a denser bite and remedy with extra kneading while hot.

Jeungpyeon (steamed rice cakes with makgeolli) can be batter-steamed directly: dissolve dry yeast plus makgeolli, proof 2 hours until bubbly, pour into oiled pan, steam 25 minutes. It will be spongier and faintly tangy, excellent with tea, and forgiving of imprecise molds.

Hygience and timing: oil any pan lightly, powder molds with soybean dust, and do not open the lid before 20 minutes; early opening collapses sulgi the way opening an oven sinks a souffle. Rest 10 minutes under cloth before slicing.

Scale small: halve any siru recipe and steam in two ramekins if a single pan is too thin. Thin layers overcook at edges and undercook centers; two small portions cook more evenly than one shallow sheet.