Dividing Ningbo Rice Cakes, Korean Rice Cakes, and Bar-Shaped Rice Products

Ningbo rice cakes (寧波年糕) and Korean rice cakes (the bar-shaped tteok used for tteokbokki) are both bar-shaped products made from rice. They are chewy and hold up to cooking, making them a common ingredient for hot pot, stir-fried rice cakes, and Korean restaurants. The two are made similarly; they differ in rice variety and shape.

How Are Rice Cakes Made?

A common process for bar-shaped rice cakes:

1. Soak the rice, then grind it into slurry or flour: Ningbo rice cakes are traditionally made with japonica rice (in Taiwan, penglai rice (蓬萊米) is commonly used), and Korean rice cakes are also mostly made with japonica rice.
2. Steam: The rice dough left after dewatering the slurry, or rice flour mixed with water, is steamed.
3. Press and knead: The steamed rice dough is repeatedly pressed or pounded to make it uniform in texture and develop elasticity.
4. Extrude into bars: It passes through a die of fixed shape and is extruded into continuous bars. Ningbo rice cakes are mostly flat bars, while Korean rice cakes are mostly thin cylinders.
5. Cut into sections: Cut to the desired length.
6. Cool and set: As it cools, the rice cake firms up, making it easier to package; some are frozen or vacuum-packed.

Can Rice Cakes Be Cut on a Dividing Machine?

Yes. Dividing bar-shaped rice cakes is essentially "cutting a continuously extruded bar at a fixed length," exactly how a dividing machine works.

The suitable products listed on Dong-Yih Machinery's website for the DY-528MS Taro Ball and Sweet Potato Ball Dividing Machine include Ningbo rice cakes and Korean rice cakes, with the following specifications:

• Output: 3,000–12,000 pieces/hour
• Weight per piece: 10 g–30 g or heavier
• Power: single-phase 220V, 1.6 kW (three-phase 380V/415V/440V must be custom-ordered)

The same machine also lists taro balls, sweet potato balls (蕃薯圓), sweet potato balls (地瓜球), and mochi, as well as mooncake filling, mung bean paste, red bean paste, sun cake filling, Dajia pastry filling, taro pastry filling, and dividing cookie dough bars of all kinds, making it suitable for businesses that rotate production among many products.

Controlling Bar Length

The weight of each section cut by a dividing machine is determined by two factors:

• Cross-sectional area: Determined by the shape and size of the outlet. With a fixed cross-section, length corresponds directly to weight.
• Cutting interval: How the extrusion speed and the cutter's movement are coordinated. With steady extrusion speed and a fixed cutting interval, every section is the same length.

In practice, factors that affect length consistency include:

• Inconsistent rice dough firmness: If the first part of a batch is warm and the last part is cold, the extrusion speed changes and the length drifts along with it.
• Rice dough temperature: Steamed rice dough is soft and easy to extrude while warm, but hardens as it cools, increasing extrusion resistance. Rice cakes should be divided within a suitable temperature range.
• Sticking to the blade: Freshly steamed rice cake is very sticky, so the cutter tends to stick and drag, deforming the cut. A common practice is to dip the cutter in water or apply a little oil.

After Cutting

• Cooling: Spread the cut sections out flat to cool so they do not stick together.
• Anti-sticking: The surface can be lightly oiled or dusted, depending on the product.
• Packaging: Rice cakes sold refrigerated are often vacuum-packed to extend shelf life; freezing is also common. For refrigerated transport, under Article 8 of the Regulations on Good Hygiene Practice for Food (食品良好衛生規範準則), the ambient temperature of refrigerated compartments must not be higher than 7°C, and frozen compartments must not be higher than -12°C.
• Labeling: Packaged foods must be labeled with the product name, contents, net weight, expiration date, and more in accordance with Article 22 of the Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation (食品安全衛生管理法).

Cleaning and Safety

Rice dough hardens as it dries and sticks to the outlet and cutter. Disassemble and wash after work every day, and before doing so, stop the machine, cut the power, and apply lockout/tagout in accordance with Article 57 of the Occupational Safety and Health Facilities Regulations (職業安全衛生設施規則).

For dividing taro balls and sweet potato balls, see Machine Production of Taro Balls and Sweet Potato Balls. To discuss what size to cut your rice cakes and whether they can run on the machine, call 06-257-4644 or ask through our Contact page.

FAQ

Q: Can rice cakes be cut with a dividing machine?
A: Yes. Bar-shaped rice cakes are continuously extruded and then cut by length. The suitable products listed on Dong-Yih's website for the DY-528MS include Ningbo rice cakes and Korean rice cakes.

Q: What should I do if the rice cakes come out in uneven lengths?
A: Usually the rice dough's firmness or temperature is inconsistent, which changes the extrusion speed. Keep the rice dough's temperature and firmness stable.

Q: The rice cake keeps sticking to the knife when cutting. What should I do?
A: Freshly steamed rice cake is very sticky; a common practice is to dip the cutter in water or apply a little oil.

Q: How many pieces can the DY-528MS cut per hour?
A: Our website lists an output of 3,000–12,000 pieces/hour at 10 g–30 g per piece or heavier.