There are many different kinds of rice flour (Ssalgaru) but short grain rice flour (Mepssalgaru) is made with short grain rice and is used to make fluffy rice cakes like Mujigaeddeok (rainbow rice cake), among other things.

You can find this in the frozen section of a Korean grocery store. It’s sold frozen so that it’ll retain its moisture. If you can’t find it in a store, you can also make it at home with this recipe.

There is more information and discussion about making rice flour out of rice on the forum.

frozen rice four

frozen rice flour

Recipes that use frozen short grain rice flour (naengdong mepssalgaru):

31 Comments:

  1. sansky new york joined 5/16 & has 1 comment

    hai maangchi,
    I live in new york city, I want make rainbow rice cake, where grocery you buy frozen rice flour?
    thx u.

  2. Weoye Vichy, France joined 3/16 & has 1 comment

    안녕하세요 i went to korean grocery store in paris and found 쌀가루 (and yes it s written in korean) but it wasn’t in the frozen section.. And when i visited the frozen section they don’t have 쌀가루 in there so i decided to bought the one i found before to make 가래떡.. But after rewatched ur video and read some comments, found out that “frozen flour” was seem really important.. Furthermore when i read the package thouroughly, i found out that it was produced in america.. So do you think it is still short grain rice flour? Can i still use it to make 가래떡?
    Thank you for the respons :D

  3. thojnub United States joined 5/13 & has 1 comment

    I love your rainbow rice cake recipe but I’m still troubled with the flour… you said that it can be homemade too… Is sweet rice = sticky,glutinous rice? Please let me know.

  4. Yaeru Mexico joined 7/12 & has 1 comment

    Hi maangichi, I recently foun your page, and I like a lot your videos. I would like to make the rainbow rice cake. I am from Mexico so I do not if I can use any rice flour, because is difficult to find the same ingredients, I have the same problem with the mugwort power. I hope you can get me a tips about this.
    Thank you for you time.

  5. kimhs0622 Near Chicago, IL joined 3/12 & has 2 comments

    Is there a preference if it’s sweetened frozen rice flour vs non sweetened? I did end up buying both. This is one of my favorites and can’t wait to try making this. Thank you!

  6. joyceaustralia Australia joined 9/11 & has 1 comment

    Hi maangchi,

    I would like to make these rice cakes they look delicious. Can you tell me how many balls of rice cakes can I get with this recipe or how approximately for how many serves or enough for how many people? I would like to make them for my women group meeting. I love all your videos and recipes.

  7. MOI983 France joined 8/11 & has 1 comment

    Hello Maangchi,

    Can you help me ?

    I would like to make the Mujigae tteok, but there’s no korean grocery where I live.

    I don’t understand something : what is really the frozen rice flour ??? Is it just a rice flour which is frozen ? Or is its consistency different from the rice flour ??

    Thanks for your videos ;)

  8. inesno44 Sweden. Stockholm joined 3/11 & has 2 comments

    Hi Maangchi

    I have the same problem as the people obove. I can’t find fozen rice flower. Is it ok to use regular rice flour?
    Thank’s

  9. Maangchi! After going to three different Korean grocery stores here in SoCal, I decided to test your suggestion of grinding rice after being soaked for 10 hours through a small portion of rice just in case it didn’t turn out well, but it completely worked!!! :D The result looked exactly like your delicate, fluffy grains of frozen rice flour and smells similar to sweet rice flour! Plus, all I needed was rice, water, a grinder, and a sifter! The sifter was very cheap, by the way :)

    Anyway, thank you so much! I really wanted to challenge myself by attempting to imitate your beautiful creation and bring it to school for my friends and now I can! Yay!

    <333!! ^^

    • Maangchi New York City joined 8/08 & has 12,045 comments

      OMG great! You are the first one to let me know they made this rice cake with homemade rice flour!

      I haven’t tried it, so I’m very excited to hear about your success! What kind of grinder did you use? Can you describe in more detail?
      How you did it, what kind of grinder you used, and how long you ground?

      Some of my readers will be very happy to read your tips, especially if they can’t find the pre-soaked and ground rice cake flour in their areas.

      If you want,leave it on the forum here so that I could link when I’m asked the question from other readers. It will be a big help for those who can’t get the frozen rice flour.
      https://www.maangchi.com/talk/forum/reader-recipes
      The title: rice flour for mujigaeddeok

    • pucca321 cincinnati joined 9/11 & has 1 comment

      hi jellybelly,

      how exactly did you make the rice flour? did you grind the wet rice after soaking it? or did you dry/dehydrate the rice first? did you use a blender? or a grain mill? i want to make my own glutinous rice flour so i’d be interested in how you did it.

      thanks!!

  10. Can I buy the rice flour and freeze it myself?

  11. JStar Singapore joined 2/10 & has 1 comment

    So I cannot use ordinary Rice Flour to make the Rainbow Rice Cake? I cannot find this flour here in Singapore and since I do not know the difference in taste, I would not know the difference would I?

  12. i bought frozen rice flour at a korean grocery, but in the video, you said that your rice flour already had salt in it. how much salt would we have to put if our frozen rice flour has no salt?

  13. Hi Maangchi,

    I can’t find any frozen rice flour here in Calgary, can I use regular rice flour?

  14. deborah Toronto, ON joined 4/09 & has 47 comments

    hi maangchi,

    i went to look for the rice flour and when i was at the korean grocery store, i found a “rice flour” and a “sweet rice flour”. is there a difference? i wanted to make the rainbow rice cake.. i am going to pick the rice flour and try but i really hope this turns out right…

    deborah

  15. can we use frozen rice powder for songpyeon?

  16. Maangchi New York City joined 8/08 & has 12,045 comments

    Yes, mugwort has some flavor like herb and it gives good green color.
    Check the description about this ingredient”what recipes use this?” on this page.

  17. Hello Maangchi

    Are you saying that regular white rice flout cannot be used? What is the type of flour in the frozen rice flour if it is not a sticky rice?

    Why is soaking rice first for more than 10 hours and drain water and grind it finely using a coffee grinder comparable to frozen flout instead of white rice flour?

    I am amazed sticky or glutinous rice (eg Mochiko) is not used…as this sticks together without any gluten as in wheat flour.

    Also was it the mugwort that made the green ones green, and does the mugwort add flavor or just color?

    Thank you for this wonderful video

  18. Maangchi New York City joined 8/08 & has 12,045 comments

    Marie,
    Do you really want to make “songpyeon” rice cake? It will take long time!
    Anyway, if you want,I recommend soaking your rice first for more than 10 hours and drain water and grind it finely using a coffee grinder.

  19. HI maangchi

    I love your recipes they are great. I am from Germany and unfortunately I cannot find any frozen rice flour. Can I use regular rice flour?

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