Honey-Sesame Topokki

Honey-Sesame Ricecakes in a ceramic bowl on a wood serving tray on oriental paper

These ooey-gooey sweet and salty rice cakes are loaded with honey and topped off with buttery sesame seeds. This unique dessert is quick and simple to make, and can be enjoyed by your whole family.

Desserts International Korean

Honey-Sesame Topokki feature a type of rice cake known as topokki in Japan or tteok in Korea. These cylindrical shaped rice cakes are made from mochi and are popular across much of Asia. Mochi is steamed rice that’s pounded into a smooth paste. The mochi is then formed into small cylindrical cakes to make topokki.

Topokki, like Japanese mochi, is usually sold in air tight bags. Before cooking they are sold, smooth and hard – they feel like hard plastic to the touch. But when cooked in liquid they soften up and absorb the liquid, and they almost have the consistency of taffy.

It is often cooked as a main course with hot sauce, and it also goes great in stir fries. But for me, I love it served as a dessert of a snack. The topokki absorbs the butter and honey used in this recipe and it makes an absolutely delicious dessert.

if you don’t care for sesame seeds you can omit them altogether, but you can add a pinch of sesame oil or a teaspoon of tahini to get a sesame taste without the added texture of the seeds.

Be user to use salted butter or if you use unsalted butter, add in 1/4 tsp of salt – the sweet and salty mix really enhances the flavor.

Honey-Sesame Topokki is best served hot – the topokki stays soft like taffy and the honey and butter are absorbed into the mochi and the flavors and textures combine perfectly. But keep in mind that this can be a very filling snack as well – there is quite a bit of rice that goes into each piece.

Give this recipe a try – it makes a great snack or dessert. Let me know what you think in the comments section.

Honey-Sesame Topokki

This soft and sweet dessert is made with rice sticks, known as topokki in Japan or tteok in Korea. Although they are extremely hard when they come out of the package, topokki will soften up when cooked in hot water or steamed. The topokki will absorb liquids and pick up some of the taste, and it has a soft and chewy consistency when cooked- like taffy.

For a sweeter dessert, serve with some extra honey on the side. My daughter likes to dip the topokki in a little honey, even though it was already sweet. Sauté the sesame seed in butter until they are cooked through and crispy- when cooked with the honey it will taste almost like candy.

PREP	COOKING	YIELD
	10 minutes	Serves 2

PREP
COOKING	10 minutes
YIELD	Serves 2

Ingredients:

200g Topokki Ricecakes
1/2 cup water
3 TBSP Acacia Honey
2 TBSP Whole White Sesame Seeds
1 TBSP salted butter

Honey Sesame Ricecake ingredients laid out on a wooden placemat

Instructions:

Sauté the sesame seeds in the butter over medium heat for 3 minutes in a skillet until the sesame seeds are crispy.

Sauté the sesame seeds in butter.

Add the topokki and stir to combine. Turn the heat up to medium high.

Add the water and bring to a light boil. Stir once to mix the ingredients.

Add the honey and reduce the heat back to medium.

Sauté over medium heat for five minutes until the water boils off and the rice cakes are soft.

Serve while hot.

Notes:

Although topokki is made from rice, it will not lose its shape while cooking. It will soften through, and swell up a bit like a sponge.
You can adjust the amount of honey and sesame to your taste. Serve with some extra honey or eliminate the sesame altogether and add a touch of sesame oil instead.
Refrigerate unused portions. The topokki will harden again in the refrigerator, but it will not get as hard as it was before it was cooked. Warm up over a skillet with a touch of water, or microwave for about 20 seconds until warm.

Topokki, cooked with honey and sesame in a ceramic bowl, over a wooden tray. — Honey-Sesame Topokki

Jay H

Jay is a Project Manager for a U.S. Company that does business globally. He has worked and lived in many places and has spent time learning how to cook dishes from around the world. Currently based in Japan, he created the Mountain Plums website during the Covid pandemic as a way to express himself though cooking while staying active.

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Jay H

Jay is a Project Manager for a U.S. Company that does business globally. He has worked and lived in many places and has spent time learning how to cook dishes from around the world. Currently based in Japan, he created the Mountain Plums website during the Covid pandemic as a way to express himself though cooking while staying active.