Chicken and Mushroom Juk (Korean Rice Porridge) With Kimchi

A Warm Hug in a Bowl of Porridge

For at least 3,000 years, this soothing staple rice gruel has been cooked in various ways throughout Asia, deeply rooted in a number of culinary traditions. In its most basic form, the dish is comprised of grains, such as rice or barley, and water or stock, simmered together until they form a thick, cream-like porridge. Juk’s popularity is due in part to its healing and nourishing characteristics. It’s warming to the body, highly hydrating, and soothing for the stomach, and when made with a good stock or bone broth, is rich in protein and collagen. The comforting porridge is a quintessential sick day food, especially for an upset stomach. Mothers even also use juk to wean their babies, and the elderly often eat it to ward off disease.

Juk

Read more about Juk here.

Ingredients

Serves 4 portions

For the Rice Porridge

  • 1 cup short grain rice
  • 4 1/2 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms, plus 4 extra for garnish, stems removed
  • 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
  • 8 cups chicken stock (preferably homemade)

To Serve

  • 6 ounces roasted chicken meat, skinless and boneless, store-bought or leftovers
  • 1/2 packed cup drained cabbage kimchi
  • Pinch of salt
  • 4 tablespoons fried shallots
  • 4 teaspoons chopped chives
  • 1/4 teaspoon black sesame seeds
  • Soy sauce, for serving

Method

  1. Rinse and soak the rice, with enough water to cover the rice, for at least 30 minutes or longer. Drain well and set aside.
  2. While the rice is soaking, cut the mushrooms into 1/3-inch cubes. Set aside.
  3. In a large heavy-bottomed pot or a Dutch oven, heat the sesame oil over medium-low heat until just fragrant, but do not burn.
  4. Add drained rice and lightly toast it, for about 2 minutes, while stirring constantly. Add mushrooms and keep stirring to sauté another 1 to 2 minutes, until very dry. Make sure you scrape the bottom of the pan often to prevent the rice and mushrooms from sticking.
  5. Pour the chicken stock into the pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Stir well. Lower the heat to medium-low, and simmer for about 45 minutes until liquid is reduced, and rice is plump and broken. While simmering, make sure to stir the rice every 15 minutes to ensure it doesn’t stick to the bottom.
  6. Meanwhile, prepare the toppings to serve: Shred the chicken meat, set aside. Chop the kimchi, set aside. Slice the reserved 4 mushrooms thinly and place them in a lightly greased or a non-stick frying pan with a pinch of salt over medium heat. Toast the mushrooms until they are light brown in color on both sides. Set aside.
  7. To serve, warm up the shredded chicken meat. Divide the rice porridge between 4 bowls and garnish with warm shredded chicken meat, chopped kimchi, toasted mushroom slices, fried shallots, chopped chives, and black sesame seeds.
  8. Serve immediately with soy sauce on the side.

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In 1945, the communists invaded, and seized his father’s land, forcing them to pack up what they could carry, and flee south with his eight siblings. Even at just six years old, my dad had to haul his share - a small backpack full of fine silk to be used to barter their way onto trains heading south and to buy safe passage through Russian-occupied territory. 

They took a train to Haeju, then crossed the southern border. They escaped under the cover of darkness, wading through the sea’s low tide to Kaesong, which was then part of South Korea. In 1950, the Korean War broke out and my dad’s family fled further and sought refuge on Jeju island. My father was too young to be drafted, but four of his older brothers were enlisted. My dad grew up in a refugee camp on this small volcanic island, which is now ironically a popular holiday destination. He remembers looking up at tall, smartly-clad US soldiers and begging them for ‘bon bons’.

From this challenging situation, he somehow managed through hard work to make it to the ‘Harvard’ of Korea and attended Seoul National University Medical School.
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Happy Father’s Day to my brilliant daddy and all fathers around the world!  My dad continues to inspire me every day.  His formidable spirit, wise advice, and undying love guides me through life…. I hope to be completely healthy too like him at 86 years young! 

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