Korea and Japan · Volume 56, The Haenyeo, the Black Pig and the Kingdom Before Korea
Jeonbokjuk
Jeju Island
Illustration
- Time
- 45 minutes
- Researched
- Researched from 123 sources in the brief
Glutinous rice porridge cooked with abalone, including its internal organs, which colour and flavour the finished dish.
A direct catch-to-pot dish: fresh-caught abalone, porridge-cooked on the spot, finished with sesame oil.
As tradition built it
Serves 4. About 45 minutes.
Ingredients
- 200g glutinous rice
- 4 fresh abalone
- 1 tbsp sesame oil, plus extra to finish
- 1 litre water
- to taste salt, to taste
Method
- Rinse the glutinous rice and soak for 30 minutes, then drain.
- Clean the abalone, removing the shell and reserving the internal organs. Slice the flesh thinly; finely chop the organs.
- Heat the sesame oil in a heavy pot, add the abalone flesh and organs, and stir-fry briefly until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
- Add the drained rice and stir to coat in the oil, then pour in the water.
- Simmer, stirring often to prevent catching, for 25 to 30 minutes, until the rice has broken down into a thick, glossy porridge and taken on a pale golden-green colour from the organs.
- Season with salt, finish with a further drizzle of sesame oil, and serve immediately.
What a modern chef changes
A cleaner organ emulsion, and precise doneness on the abalone itself.
Rungs 5 and 3
Method
- Poach the abalone flesh sous vide at 60°C for 45 minutes before slicing into the finished porridge, holding it at a temperature that keeps the texture tender rather than the firmer result direct stir-frying can produce, then fold the sliced abalone through the porridge only at the very end.
- Blend the raw organs with a little of the soaking water in a high-power blender to a smooth purée before adding to the rice, for an even colour and flavour through the whole porridge rather than flecks of chopped organ.