Jook (Rice Porridge)

Wow it's been a long time since I last updated. Sorry been busy and got all 4 of my wisdom teeth pulled out. I can't really eat much being toothless and sore and all, so I made myself some jook yesterday. This is a dish that is made with love because it takes a long time to make and moms usually make it for you when you're sick. My favorite jook is junbok jook (abalone porridge) but I didn't have any abalone, so I made a very basic jook. You can add pretty much anything you like from diced veggies, to shredded & cooked dak (chicken) to paht (red bean), hobak (squash), jaht (pine nuts), etc.

Ingredients:

1 cup rice
3-4 cups water
1 tb sesame oil
salt to taste
soy sauce

Directions:

Soak the rice in water for a couple of hours. This will help it cook much faster. If you don't have the time, you can omit this step. I used a mixture of brown and white rice (I think brown rice takes a little longer to cook). Heat sesame oil in a pot and add the drained rice. Saute rice for a couple of minutes. Add water and bring to a boil. Simmer, stirring continuously for 45 minutes. Be careful that it does not stick to the bottom. You can always add more water - it should be a pasty consistency rather than watery. Add salt to taste. Serve with soy sauce on the side. This makes about 2 good sized portions.

I ate this twice yesterday. The first time I topped the jook with a raw egg and mixed it in - the heat from the jook cooked the egg. Then I drizzled the soy sauce over the jook. I can't eat kimchi, so I actually ate kimchi juice. The second time I ran out of eggs so I added some shredded geem (seaweed) and ate it with mool (water) kimchi on the side. I actually really like jook! It would be good maybe with some meat like jangjorim on top. Yum... But I can't chew any meat right now alas.