Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving) is one of Korea's two biggest holidays and falls on the 15th day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar. Because of social distancing amid the COVID-19 pandemic, a group of Malaysians organized a small online cooking session on Sept. 18 in conjunction with Chuseok.
The signature food of the celebration, songpyeon (small rice cake), was chosen as the item to make. Participants received a cooking kit with the ingredients to make the cakes consisting of a recipe card, flour mix for the dough, sesame, peanuts and honey for the filling, spinach and pumpkin powder for natural coloring, and sesame oil for the coating. The session was led by Azliana Rashidah Binti, a Malaysian who in 2019 won the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations)-ROK (Republic of Korea): Korea Food Contest Final in Seoul.
The seven participants ranged in age from 20 to 40. Azliana patiently taught each student how to make the cake, especially those having problems with the recipe. The two-hour session was filled with fun and questions from the participants as this was their first time making songpyeon. The photos below are each student's creations.
We also shared songpyeon with neighbors and friends to promote awareness of traditional Korean desserts and Chuseok. I hope that our event gave good memories to the participants in a small part of the Chuseok experience and my wish is to spent Chuseok with Koreans in Korea next year.
*This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.
