Korean🍰 Sweets & drinks

Gotgam-danji (Stuffed Dried Persimmons)

Name: Gotgam-danji (Stuffed Dried Persimmons)
Total time: 1 h
Cuisine: Korean
Ingredients: 12 cooked chestnuts; 1 cup walnuts; ½ cup rice syrup; ¼ cups pine nuts; 8 jujubes; ½ tsp cinnamon powder; 2 pinches salt; ~2 tbsp yuja tea (citron marmalade); ~8-10 dried persimmons (gotgam); ~¼ tsp edible gold flakes

⏱ 60 min

A luxurious traditional Korean holiday treat: whole dried persimmons are hollowed out and stuffed with a sweet filling of chestnut crumbs, honey-glazed walnuts, pine nuts, minced jujube, cinnamon and salt, then shaped back into little "jars." Sticky-chewy and nutty-sweet, it's a festive dessert perfect for celebrating the end of the year with family.

Adapted from a video by Maangchi

Gotgam-danji (Stuffed persimmons) 곶감단지

Watch on YouTube

Ingredients

cooked chestnutspeeled and mashed into crumbs, yields about 1 cup12
walnutsblanched about 1 minute then dried/toasted until crispy1 cup
rice syrupused to coat the walnuts for sweetness and shine½ cup
pine nuts¼ cups
jujubespitted, shredded, then minced8
cinnamon powder½ tsp
salt2 pinches
yuja tea (citron marmalade)adds aroma and helps bind the filling

Steps

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1
Cut 12 cooked chestnuts in half and scoop out the flesh. It's easiest to work with them while still warm and soft.
2
Pound the chestnut flesh with a mortar and pestle, then push it through a strainer to remove the fibrous skins, yielding about 1 cup of fine chestnut crumbs.
3
Blanch 1 cup of walnuts in boiling water for about 1 minute to remove dust and bitterness, drain, then dry them in the microwave (about 3 minutes) or in a pan over medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring, until all moisture evaporates and they turn crispy.
4
Heat 1/2 cup of rice syrup in a pan until bubbling, add the toasted walnuts and stir to coat evenly in the glossy syrup, lifting the pan off heat as needed to prevent burning. Spread on parchment paper to cool.
5
Prepare 1/4 cup of pine nuts. Pit and shred the 8 jujubes, then mince them finely. Combine with the pine nuts, and season with about 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder and two pinches of salt.
6
Lightly pound the glazed walnuts with a mortar and pestle for a chewy-crunchy texture, then mix them with the chestnut crumbs and the pine nut-jujube mixture. Stir in some yuja tea for aroma and to help bind the filling, adjusting until the mixture is moist enough to shape but not too wet.
7
Put on gloves since the filling is sticky. Choose good quality whole dried persimmons and gently remove the inner flesh, keeping the outer skin intact to form a cup shape.
8
Use your fingers to shape the inside of the persimmon into a round cavity, removing the stem and any seeds, forming the little "jar" shape ready for filling.
9
Depending on the size of the persimmon, spoon in about 2 to 3 scoops of filling to stuff it fully, creating the stuffed persimmon dessert.
10
Trim any leftover skin from the top of the persimmon with a sharp knife to neaten the appearance.
11
For a luxurious touch, decorate the top with edible gold flakes (optional — it doesn't change the flavor).
12
Freeze the stuffed persimmons for 1 to 2 hours so they firm up and are easier to slice.
13
Slice and serve with hot tea — this is the traditional Korean holiday treat, gotgam-danji.

Gotgam-danji (Stuffed Dried Persimmons)

Ingredients

Steps

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