By Honorary Reporter Adesina Christiana from Nigeria
Photos = Adesina Christiana, Korea.net

Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving) is one of Korea's two biggest holidays in which families traditionally get together, catch up over a huge meal and pay tribute to their ancestors.

Of the many dishes served during this holiday, I cooked two at home: the famous rice cake songpyeon and the three-colored salad samsaeknamul.

Songpyeon is normally made in a variety of colors, and I chose white, green and yellow. As this was my first time making it, I found it a bit hard but interesting to make the rice cake with my family and friends. This is in line with a major feature of Chuseok: families gathering to make the half-moon shapes of songpyeon.

The ingredients I used were glutinous rice flour, green tea powder for green songpyeon, sweet pumpkin powder for yellow and grinded sesame seed mixed with brown sugar for feeling.

Directions: 
1. Divide the rice flour into three equal portions.
2. Add green tea powder to one portion and sweet pumpkin powder to another. Leave the last portion alone.
3. Crush the sesame seeds in a small mortar and mix them with brown sugar.
4. To each portion of the rice flour, add a little hot water and knead for a time. 

5. Take a little pinch of the dough and flatten it. Add the sesame seed filling and cover it up with a half-moon shape.
6. Steam the cakes. Don't forget to coat them with sesame oil to prevent them from sticking to each other.

The songpyeon came out soft and chewy with sweet filling inside. A lot of other fillings like chestnuts, dates, mung beans and red beans can also be used.

For the salad, I used as ingredients bellflower roots, zucchini, golden oak mushroom, salt, soy sauce, dried green onion powder, garlic powder, sesame seed, vegetable oil, sesame oil and ground black pepper.

Directions: 
1. Start with mushroom namul. Soak the mushroom (if dried) and marinade in a mix of sesame oil, garlic powder, black pepper, soy sauce and sesame seeds. Afterwards, stir-fry in vegetable oil for a few minutes.
2. Add a little water to cook more and set aside.
3. For the second part of the salad, stir-fry zucchini in vegetable oil for a few minutes.
4. Add brine (salt and water), sesame oil, garlic and onion powder and sprinkle sesame seeds. Allow it to cook a little and the zucchini salad is ready.
5. Finally for doraji namul (bellflower root salad), soak bellflower roots in water, removed the cover and stir-fry.
6. Add a little water to finish.

The salad is a side dish for eating with main dishes like rice.

enny0611@korea.kr

*This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.