''Mujigae-tteok'' () or rainbow rice cake is a layered '' tteok'' (rice cake) of different colors resembling a

rainbow A rainbow is a meteorological phenomenon that is caused by reflection, refraction and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a spectrum of light appearing in the sky. It takes the form of a multicoloured circular arc. Rainbows c ...

. It is used for special occasions such as a banquet, party, or feast like ''

doljanchi ''Dol'' or ''doljanchi'' is a Korean tradition that celebrates the first birthday of a baby. This ceremony blesses the child with a prosperous future and has taken on great significance in Korea. The birthday babies wear a hanbok and a traditional ...

'' (first birthday), '' hwangapjanchi'' (60th birthday). Alternative names for ''mujigae-tteok'' include ''saektteok'' () and ''saekpyeon'' (), both of which means "colored rice cakes".

Preparation

The addition of food coloring makes ''mujigae-tteok'' different from the other varieties of '' seolgi-tteok'', such as white '' baek-seolgi''. It is made by steaming sweetened non-glutinous

rice Rice is the seed of the grass species '' Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima'' (African rice). The name wild rice is usually used for species of the genera '' Zizania'' and '' Porteresia'', both wild and domesticat ...

flour in a ''

siru ''Siru'' () is an earthenware steamer used to steam grain or grain flour dishes such as ''tteok'' (rice cakes). Gallery Si-lu (side2).jpg, A Bronze Age ''siru'' See also * List of cooking vessels * Bamboo steamer * ''Siru-tteok S ...

'' (steamer). Sweetened rice flour is made by first grinding soaked rice and mixing it with honey or sugar solution. The flour is then rubbed between the palms for uniform mixing of the ingredients and finally sieved. Food colorings, commonly gardenia (yellow), rock tripe powder (grey),

mugwort Mugwort is a common name for several species of aromatic flowering plants in the genus '' Artemisia.'' In Europe, mugwort most often refers to the species ''Artemisia vulgaris'', or common mugwort. In East Asia the species ''Artemisia argyi'' is ...

powder (green), and devil's-tongue powder (pink), are then added and mixed with small amount of water. Colored and white (uncolored)

rice flour Rice flour (also rice powder) is a form of flour made from finely milled rice. It is distinct from rice starch, which is usually produced by steeping rice in lye. Rice flour is a common substitute for wheat flour. It is also used as a thickening ...

are then laid on a cloth-lined ''

'' in about thick layers and steamed.

References

Steamed foods Tteok {{Korea-dessert-stub