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Home All Categories Recipe Round-Up

9 Chuseok (Korean Harvest Moon) Recipes with Jesa Table Setting Guide

Posted:9/05/20196 Comments
chuseok recipe pin

9 Chuseok (Korean Harvest Moon) recipes that you can make at home, from rice recipes like Songpyeon (rice cakes), Sikhye (rice punch), Jeons (fritters) to Samesaek Namul (vegetable side dish with three colors).

collage image of 4 Chuseok recipes including jeon, songypeon, mul kimchi and yakgwa
Chuseok Recipes for Jesa
Koreans start the autumn season with a major celebration known as Chuseok 추석,  which takes place on the 15th day of the 8th month in the lunar calendar – around autumn equinox. In 2019, this day falls on September 13th. Chuseok literally means “autumn evening,” and it’s a harvest festival commemorating the season’s crops.
Now, Chuseok is a time when many Korean families gather together to perform Jesa (제사 ancestral rites) by cooking wonderful foods to offer to their ancestors,  setting the table and inviting the ancestor spirits to visit and enjoy the food. Jesa for Chuseok is also called Charye 차례 and when the ceremony is over, the whole family will enjoy the food together.
Traditionally in the past, the women in the family (mom, daughter-in-law, daughters) spent days preparing all the Jesa food. But today’s modern Korean family often chooses to go on trips instead or actually order the foods from businesses instead of laboring for days to prepare it all. But it’s still good to know the history behind these foods.
Chuseok is also a time to celebrate all the abundance of New Year’s crop which will always include rice and fruits. Chuseok recipes include rice cake, rice wine, and rice dessert with the new rice crop along with festive dishes like grilled fish, dried seafood (octopus, pollock or yellow croaker), beef jerkey (yukpo), seafood fritters (saenseonjeon), and vegetable side dishes (namul).

How to set the table for Chuseok Jesa (Charye 차례)

When setting up the table for the ancestral ritual, there are certain rules and guidelines on what and how foods should be prepared and how it should be set on the table. This tradition has been part of the Korean culture for hundreds of years, perhaps going back all the way to the times where Koreans prayed to mountain gods or tree gods.

When setting up the table, here are some general rules (it is said that the spirits are not fond of the following 😉)
  • no aromatics such as garlic, red chili powder, green onions should be used – which means no spicy or heavily seasoned foods
  • no peaches or other fruits that are fuzzy – ghosts don’t like fuzzy things.. 😝
  • no fishes whose name ends with ‘chi 치’ – kkongchi, samchi, myeolchi..  mostly of the mackerel species
BTW, if you want to learn how the traditional Jesa table was setup, here’s a diagram that I drew to show you how it’s done!  So the ancestor’s place is at the North end and at the South end, the descendants will take turns to bow and offer wine to the ancestral spirits.
There are 14 rules in all that guide how you set this offering table. Overall, it should have 5 rows with different

There’s even a rule that says all produce from the earth (i.e. plants) should be in odd numbers (hence the fruits are stacked in odd numbers) and all produce from the sky (i.e. meat and fish) should be in even numbers. Anyway, I’ve drawn a sample Chuseok table that contains typical Jesa foods. Hopefully,  you can see it OK!

Drawing of Chuseok Jesa table setting example with dishes and locations
Drawing of Chuseok Jesa table setting example with dishes and locations

NOTE – there is a little mistake in this drawing. I should have drawn 2 place settings (2 spoons + chopstick sets and 2 memorial tablets (신의 shineui)) since we have 2 plates of songpyeon for each ancestor but I only drew one instead… not sure what I was thinking..

  • Row 1 (from top, left to right): Noodles, wine, songpyeon, wine, songpyeon, flat tteok (rice cake)
  • Row 2 (left to right): 어동육서 (魚東肉西 eo-dong-yuk-seo) means fish to the east and meat to the west, 동두서미 (頭東尾西 dong-du-seo-mi) means fish head must face the east and tail must face the west. So we have beef jeon, beef jerky, assorted skewered jeok, grilled fish (with head pointing to east), fish jeon
  • Row 3 (left to right): 3 soups, beef soup, tofu soup, fish soup
  • Row 4 (left to right): 좌포우혜 (左脯右醯 ja-po-wu-hye ) means dried food (po) to the left or west and Sik(hye) to the right or east.
  • Row 5 (left to right): 조율이시 (棗栗梨柿 jo-yul-yi-si) means fruits must be placed in this order – dried jujubes -> peeled chestnuts -> pears with top cut off -> persimmons.
 Based on this table, I’ve put together 9 Chuseok recipes that Koreans cook and eat to memorialize and pay respects to their ancestors and also to just celebrate the coming of autumn!

The most famous Chuseok Recipe – Songpyeon

Songpyeon Chuseok Rice Cakes
Songpyeon Chuseok Rice Cakes

One cannot celebrate Chuseok without making this wonderful treat called Songpyeon(송편).  As a kid, this was one time when I was allowed to fully participate in the kitchen without being told I should just go and do my homework. 😝I think I always preferred being in the kitchen than being up in my room doing some boring homework..hahaha..I guess I was meant to be doing this.😍

This steamed rice cake is made with short-grain rice cake dough and has a sweet filling. It’s vegan and gluten-free! I use matcha powder and kabocha squash to create different colors of the dough, and I like to make fillings from sesame seeds and mung beans. It can be a fun kitchen session with the family! Don’t miss my step-by-step photos and a how-to video in the post here.

Tradition has it that the rice cake is steamed on top of a layer of pine needles so that the “chi” of the pine tree will transfer and make us strong and healthy. Plus, this process also gives the rice cake a wonderful aroma of the pine tree.

Songpyeon - Korean Rice Cake for Chuseok
Songpyeon is a special rice treat made in the Korean home during Chuseok (秋夕) to celebrate the year’s harvest and to wish every family member good health. Songpyeon is made from 100% short grain rice cake dough that’s filled with various fillings then hand shaped and steamed. Includes instructions for Instant Pot and Rice Cooker. Makes total 80 pieces, with 4 piece per serving below.
Check out this recipe
Songpyeon Korean Moon Rice Cake

Beef Soup

Hearty Korean Beef Soup (Gogiguk)
Hearty Korean Beef Soup (Gogiguk)

Probably the most basic soup in Korean cuisine but also one of the three soups in Chuseok recipes. This beef soup is wonderful on its own but also a great base for many other soups.

Hearty Beef Soup (Gogiguk/Kokiguk)
This Korean-style beef broth/soup is easy to make and can be the foundation for many other Korean soups although it's just as good enjoyed on its own. 
Check out this recipe
Hearty Beef Soup (고기국 Gogiguk/Kokikuk)

Special Three-Color Vegetable Side Dish (Samsaek Namul)

Special Three-Color Vegetable Side Dish (Samsaek Namul)
Special Three-Color Vegetable Side Dish (Samsaek Namul)

Another pretty dish that’s always included in Chuseok recipes is Samsaek Namul, which basically means “three-color vegetables.” The specific colors are white, brown, and green. I use white radish to make white namul, bracken fiddleheads to make brown namul, and perilla leaves to make green namul.

This significant dish is part of a display of food offerings to family ancestors on the morning of Chuseok in a memorial ceremony known as Charye 차례. Koreans return to their hometowns to pay respects to their ancestors for a bountiful harvest.

Three Color Vegetables (Samsaek Namul) – Green
Samsaek Namul comes from the tradition of Koreans paying respect to their ancestors by preparing an offering of a table full of food and the descendants bowing in front of the table. One of the rules of the tradition is to have a plate of three colored vegetables, white, brown, and green. This recipe is for the green part. 
Check out this recipe
Perilla Kkaetnip Namul

Pan-fried Fish and Shrimp Jeon (Saengsun and Saewoo Jeon)

Korean Fish and Shrimp Jeon (Saengsun Jeon, Saewoo Jeon)
Korean Fish and Shrimp Jeon (Saengsun Jeon, Saewoo Jeon)

Fish and shrimp fritters, or jeon in Korean, are almost always served in a full-course traditional Korean dinner, especially for special festive meals around Chuseok and New Year’s. To prepare this, simply coat fish and shrimp in eggs and flour and then pan-fry them to golden brown perfection. Fish jeon is usually made with white meat fish, especially cod and pollock.

These fritters are another great party food because they can be made ahead and kept warm in the oven until serving time. The tip is to cover them partially so that they don’t dry up. You can serve jeon at room temperature too, but they taste so much better warm.

Pan-Fried Fish and Shrimp Jeon (Saengsun and Saewoo Jeon)
Cod and Shrimp are coated in flour and egg and then pan-fried golden brown. Great side dish or even main dish to any Korean meal. Easy, Simple and Delish!
Check out this recipe

Water Kimchi (Nabak Kimchi)

container of ripened nabak kimchi with a ladle inserted
Nabak Kimchi – Spring Water Kimchi (vegan and gf)

As the rules say,  you cannot put heavily seasoned spicy foods so a regular kimchi cannot go on the Chuseok charye table. However, there is a spot for mul kimchi. And  how can  one ever have Korean food without any kind of kimchi?? Dead or alive..?? HAHA..

Water Kimchi (Mul Kimchi)
Korean water kimchi really doesn’t involve a lot of ingredients but it comes out so fabulous – so refreshing and belly cleansing deliciousness.
Check out this recipe
Water Kimchi fermented 4 days

Dakdoritang or Dakjjim (Stewed Chicken)

Soy Sauce Chicken Stew - Dakdoritang with carrots, colored potatoes and green chili peppers
Soy Sauce Chicken Stew – Dakdoritang with carrots, colored potatoes and green chili peppers

Dakdoritang or Dakjjim is another meat dish that can be placed on the table. This is a very mild stewed chicken dish with lots of root vegetables making it a hearty dish.

Hearty Soy Sauce Chicken Stew
This Dak doritang(Korean soy sauce chicken stew – also called Dakbokkeumtang) recipe was so easy to make, it actually made me nervous but it's a must try.
Check out this recipe
Soy Sauce Chicken Dakdoritang with Chili Peppers and Colored Potatoes

Korean yakwa pastry piled on Korean traditional wooden plate
Yakwa/Yakgwa – Korean honey pastry dessert

Holidays always call for something sweet, right? A celebration dessert for Koreans is Yakwa, a healthy sweet treat made with sticky rice, dried jujube dates, chestnut, and pine nuts.

Fun fact: This delicacy was created by one of my husband’s ancestors! You can read about it in this post. I learned the traditional Yakgwa recipe from my mother-in-law and I created this baked Yakwa recipe in case you don’t want to bother with frying.

Korean Honey Pastry (Yakgwa or Yakwa)
Yakgwa(약과) is a traditional Korean sweet pastry that is fried and coated in syrup rich with flavors of ginger and honey.
Check out this recipe
Korean Sweets - Yakwa

Sweet Rice Punch (Sikhye)

Sweet Rice Punch (Sikhye)
Sweet Rice Punch (Sikhye)

Much like holiday time in other cultures, Sikhye is a holiday time drink and is a classic dessert drink in my Chuseok recipes list. This dessert beverage is made from rice and malt barley. It has a unique sweet taste with melt-in-your-mouth rice grains that come floating in the drink.

Sweet Rice Punch (Sikhye 식혜)
Sikhye is a classic Korean dessert drink that is made from malt barley. I LOVE the unique sweet taste of sikhye and the soft, melt in your mouth rice that comes floating in the drink.
Check out this recipe
sikhye (식혜 Korean sweet rice punch)-c

Dasik (Tea Cookies)

Korean Tea Cookies
Korean Tea Cookies

Another classic treat that is rarely made at home anymore are these delectable sweet Korean tea cookies that our Korean ancestors enjoyed many moons ago. 😝They can be made with black and white sesame seeds, green matcha and omija tea.  I share below 2 recipe posts that together will help you make 6 different dasik cookies!

Matcha Green Tea and Omija Cookies (Dasik)
Matcha Green Tea and Omija Cookies are wonderfully healthy no bake Korean cookies that are so elegant, beautiful and traditional. These delicate cookies are made with fine Matcha powder and Omija tea sweetened with honey. Korean nobility enjoyed these sweets as snacks during their tea time.
Check out this recipe
Dasik – Korean Tea Cookies for Lunar New Year
How to make traditional Korean tea cookie (Dasik) for Lunar New Year's. Cookies are made from finely ground sesame seeds, green tea powder and more. Great melt-in-your-mouth cookie that is simple to make and pairs wonderfully with green teas.
Check out this recipe

Well, I hope these recipes will give you a taste of the traditional Chuseok celebration in Korea.

🍁Happy autumn!🍁

XOXO ❤️
JinJoo

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6 Comments
  1. Denise says

    Posted on 12 June 2020 at 2:24 pm

    Thank you for posting this. It was very informational. I always saw my aunt do this for my grandma and grandpa but never really paid attention because I was too busy playing. Now that I am an adult, I want to teach my kids about my culture. Thank you for this post. It means a lot to me.

    Reply
    • JinJoo says

      Posted on 14 June 2020 at 3:08 pm

      I am so glad and grateful to hear that. It is truly my hope that I can pass on whatever knowledge I can to future generations. Thank you.

      Reply
      • Janet says

        Posted on 5 September 2021 at 12:52 pm

        Thank you for posting this! My mom’s 1 year memorial is coming up and I remember my mom telling me about the spices but I couldn’t find anything until I read your post. So I feel better knowing what I can and cannot do. I will also use your recipes, as I don’t know how to cook any of these. Thank you again!

      • JinJoo says

        Posted on 7 September 2021 at 1:00 pm

        So good of you to want to prepare food for your mom’s 1 year memorial. I am sure she will really appreciate the extra effort you are putting into it. Glad it’s helpful. Thank you and sending hugs.

  2. Tami says

    Posted on 23 February 2020 at 3:41 pm

    Wow, I love the history and diagram of the table set-up! Maybe one year I’ll try to set up my own. Thanks for sharing all this info!

    Reply
    • JinJoo says

      Posted on 23 February 2020 at 8:16 pm

      You are the first person to say – makes me so happy to hear that. I was hoping it would be useful to someone at some point. Thank you so much for appreciating the diagram and my work.

      Reply

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