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.
hai maangchi,
I live in new york city, I want make rainbow rice cake, where grocery you buy frozen rice flour?
thx u.
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
There are 2 types of ssalgaru that I’ve been using in my recipes so far.
Chapssalgaru (which is dry)
https://www.maangchi.com/ingredient/sweet-rice-flour
and Mepssalgaru (which is wet & frozen)
https://www.maangchi.com/recipe/mepssalgaru
The reason I use frozen Mepssalgaru in the garaetteok recipe is because the rice flour needs to be made with the short grain rice soaked and ground. Dried rice flour will never work, so you need to buy frozen or make your own: https://www.maangchi.com/recipe/mepssalgaru
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.
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.
Please check this out. The answer is posted here. https://www.maangchi.com/talk/topic/rainbow-rice-cake
https://www.maangchi.com/talk/topic/how-to-make-rainbow-rice-cake-with-dry-rice-flour
You can replace mugwort powder with green tea powder or use food coloring.
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!
Interesting, I didn’t know there is sweetened frozen rice flour. Yes, use non sweetened rice flour.
Took another look at the packaging again and its not sweetened. It’s made from sweet rice vs.rice. I would think the sweet rice would be more sticker.
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.
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 ;)
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
One of my readers made nice fluffy mujigaeddeok with dried rice flour and posted the tip here:
https://www.maangchi.com/talk/topic/how-to-make-rainbow-rice-cake-with-dry-rice-flour
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!! ^^
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
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!!
Can I buy the rice flour and freeze it myself?
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?
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?
As long as you got the right ingredient from a Korean grocery store, it will be ok. Follow the recipe whatever you make. I used this package of frozen rice flour for songpyeon and mujigaeddeok recipes so far.
Songpyeon: https://www.maangchi.com/recipe/songpyeon
mujigaeddeok: https://www.maangchi.com/recipe/mujigae-ddeok
I recently joined & this will be my first attempt to make the rainbow mochi but I couldn’t find any frozen rice flour can I use the regular rice flour that’s not frozen?
Thanks
She didn’t say her rice flour had already been “salted,” she said her rice flour had already been “soaked.” That is because if you want to make rice cakes, traditionally Koreans will take sweet rice, soak it in water, and then grind it to make their own flour. Buying the frozen rice flour eliminates those tedious steps.
Hi Maangchi,
I can’t find any frozen rice flour here in Calgary, can I use regular rice flour?
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
tell me how it goes , i found the same i saw the frozen one before but not now so i got the plain rice powder… ahh we’ll see wat happens…
maangchi? what is the difference?
deborah, pick the frozen rice flour at a Korean store if you want to make rainbow rice cake!
can we use frozen rice powder for songpyeon?
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.
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
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.
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?