''Danja'' () is a variety of steamed ''

tteok ''Tteok'' ( ko, 떡) is a class of Korean rice cakes made with steamed flour made of various grains, including glutinous rice, glutinous or non-glutinous Japonica rice, rice. Steamed flour can also be pounded, shaped, or pan-fried to make ''tt ...

'' (rice cake) made with glutinous rice flour, sweet fillings, and sweet coatings.

Etymology and related rice cakes

''Dan'' () means "round", and ''ja'' () means ''

injeolmi ''Injeolmi'' (, ) is a variety of ''tteok'', or Korean rice cake, made by steaming and pounding glutinous rice flour, which is shaped into small pieces and usually covered with steamed powdered dried beans or other ingredients. It is a representa ...

'' (steamed and pounded ''tteok'').''Danja'' differs from ''injeolmi'' in that steamed glutinous rice flour, not steamed rice, is pounded. ''Danja'' is also smaller than ''injeolmi'' and tends to be globular rather than angulate. Another similar rice cake, ''

gyeongdan ''Gyeongdan'' () or Korean rice ball cake is a type of ''tteok'' (rice cake) made of glutinous rice or other glutinous cereal flours. When the cereal other than rice is used, its name is usually specified, making compound nouns such as ''susugye ...

'', shares the letter ''dan'' (). ''Gyeongdan'', unlike ''danja'', is usually boiled before it is coated. Typical coatings also differ. Japanese ''

dango is a Japanese dumpling made from rice flour mixed with uruchi rice flour and glutinous rice flour. It is different from the method of making mochi, which is made after steaming glutinous rice. ''Dango'' is usually finished round shaped, thre ...

'', which also shares the letter ''dan'', can be either boiled or steamed, and is not necessarily coated.

Preparation and varieties

''Danja'' is made by steaming glutinous rice 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 Si ...

'' (steamer), pounding the steamed ''tteok'', shaping it into chestnut-sized balls with various coatings that are sweetened with honey, and coating the balls with honey followed by powdered or shredded ingredients. Common fillings are finely chopped ''gyulbyeong'' (

Mandarin orange The mandarin orange (''Citrus reticulata''), also known as the mandarin or mandarine, is a small citrus tree fruit. Treated as a distinct species of orange, it is usually eaten plain or in fruit salads. Tangerines are a group of orange-coloured ...

boiled in honey), cooked and sieved chestnuts mixed with cinnamon powder and honey, and ''

geopipat A variety of adzuki beans (''Vigna angularis'') that are black. In Korean, they are called ''geomeunpat'' (; "black adzuki beans"), ''geomjeongpat'' (; "black adzuki beans"), ''heukdu'' (; "black beans"), or ''heuksodu'' (; "black small beans"). ...

-so'' (white, dehulled

red bean paste Red bean paste () or red bean jam, also called adzuki bean paste or ''anko'' (a Japanese word), is a paste made of red beans (also called "adzuki beans"), used in East Asian cuisine. The paste is prepared by boiling the beans, then mashing or g ...

) mixed with cinnamon powder and honey. Common coatings are cooked with sieved chestnuts, shredded jujubes, chopped

pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden accep ...

nuts, cinnamon powder, and toasted sesame seeds. Common varieties include: * ''bam-danja'' () is filled with a mixture of steamed and sieved

chestnuts The chestnuts are the deciduous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Castanea'', in the beech family Fagaceae. They are native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce. The unrelated ...

and finely chopped ''gyulbyeong'' (mandarin orange boiled in honey), and coated with honey followed by steamed and sieved chestnuts. * ''daechu-danja'' () is made from glutinous rice flour steamed with shredded

jujubes Jujube ( or ; also known as jube or juju) is a gummy type of candy drop. History A recipe for "pate de jujubes" was published in 1709. The recipe called for gum arabic, sugar, and the date-like jujube fruit. In 1853, both "ju ju paste" and "j ...

and coated with honey followed by shredded jujubes and shredded chestnuts. * ''eunhaeng-danja'' () is made from glutinous rice flour steamed with

ginkgo ''Ginkgo'' is a genus of non-flowering seed plants. The scientific name is also used as the English name. The order to which it belongs, Ginkgoales, first appeared in the Permian, 270 million years ago, and is now the only living genus within ...

powder, and coated with honey followed by chopped pine nuts. * ''geonsi-danja'' () is made by wrapping a mixture of powdered chestnuts, cinnamon powder, and honey with thinly sliced ''

gotgam Dried persimmon is a type of traditional dried fruit snack in East Asia. Known as ''shìbǐng'' () in Chinese, ''hoshigaki'' () in Japanese, and ''gotgam'' () in Korean, it is traditionally made in the winter, by air drying Oriental persimmon ...

'' (dried

persimmon The persimmon is the edible fruit of a number of species of trees in the genus ''Diospyros''. The most widely cultivated of these is the Oriental persimmon, ''Diospyros kaki'' ''Diospyros'' is in the family Ebenaceae, and a number of non-pers ...

) preserved in honey, and coating it with chopped pine nuts. * ''pat-danja'' () is filled with red bean paste sweetened with honey, and coated with honey followed by steamed and powdered

red beans Red bean is a common name for several plants and may refer to: * Adzuki bean (''Vigna angularis''), commonly used in Japanese, Korean, and Chinese cuisine, particularly as red bean paste * Kidney bean, red variety of '' Phaseolus vulgaris'', c ...

. * ''seogi-danja'' () is made from glutinous rice flour steamed with soaked and minced

rock tripe Rock tripe is the common name for various lichens of the genus ''Umbilicaria'' that grow on rocks. They are widely distributed, including on bare rock in Antarctica, and throughout northern parts of North America such as New England and the Ro ...

mixed with honey, and coated with honey followed by chopped pine nuts. * ''seunggeomcho-danja'' () is made from glutinous rice flour steamed with

angelica ''Angelica'' is a genus of about 60 species of tall biennial and perennial herbs in the family Apiaceae, native to temperate and subarctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere, reaching as far north as Iceland, Lapland, and Greenland. They grow t ...

powder, filled with red bean paste and coated with honey followed by steamed and powdered red beans. * ''ssuk-danja'' () is made from steamed glutinous rice flour pounded with minced

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'' i ...

, filled with honey and chestnuts or yuja-cheong (yuja marmalade) with jujubes, and coated with honey followed by steamed and powdered ''

'' (white, dehulled

black adzuki bean A variety of adzuki beans (''Vigna angularis'') that are black. In Korean, they are called ''geomeunpat'' (; "black adzuki beans"), ''geomjeongpat'' (; "black adzuki beans"), ''heukdu'' (; "black beans"), or ''heuksodu'' (; "black small beans"). ...

s). * ''yuja-danja'' () is made from glutinous rice flour steamed with

yuja Yuzu (''Citrus junos'', from Japanese or ) is a citrus fruit and plant in the family Rutaceae of East Asian origin. Yuzu has been cultivated mainly in East Asia, though recently also in New Zealand, Australia, Spain, Italy, and France. It ...

zest, filled with sieved chestnuts and covered with honey followed by steamed and powdered ''

'' (white, dehulled

s).

References

Steamed foods Tteok {{Korea-dessert-stub