Bajirak-juk (Korean Clam Porridge)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large bowl for purging clams
• •Heavy 3-quart pot or Dutch oven
• •Fine-mesh sieve lined with paper towel or coffee filter
• •Wooden spoon or rice paddle

Instructions

1. 1

   Purge and soak

   Rinse the rice until the water runs mostly clear, then cover it with cool water for 30 minutes. At the same time, dissolve the coarse sea salt in 4 cups cold water, add the clams, cover the bowl, and refrigerate in the dark for 30 to 60 minutes. Scrub the shells well. Discard any cracked clams and any open clam that does not close when tapped. The rice soaks so the grains cook evenly; the clams purge so the porridge does not carry sand into every spoonful.

   If using fine salt instead of coarse sea salt, use 1 1/2 tablespoons. You want water that tastes like the sea, not a harsh brine that weakens the clams.
2. 2

   Open the clams

   Put the scrubbed clams and 5 cups cold water in a wide pot. Bring to a lively simmer over medium-high heat. As the clams open, lift them into a bowl, starting around 3 minutes; give stubborn shells up to 7 minutes, then discard any that stay closed. Strain the cooking liquid through a fine-mesh sieve lined with a paper towel or coffee filter. Measure 5 1/2 cups of liquid for the porridge, adding water if you are short. This strained clam liquor is the seasoning, so keep it clean.

   Do not salt the clam liquor now. Some clams are already salty enough, and you will not know what the pot needs until the rice has thickened.
3. 3

   Prepare the meat

   Take the clam meat from the shells. Reserve 6 opened shells for serving if you like the look of them in the bowl. Leave small clams whole and roughly chop any large ones. Keep the meat covered while the rice cooks. Clam meat goes back at the end, because long simmering makes it tough and mean.

4. 4

   Toast the rice

   Drain the soaked rice well. In a clean heavy pot, warm 2 teaspoons of the sesame oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and clam meat, toss for 30 seconds until the clams look glossy, then lift the clam meat back into its bowl, leaving the oil and juices behind. Add the remaining 1 teaspoon sesame oil and the drained rice. Stir 3 to 4 minutes, until the grains look translucent at the edges and feel heavier against the spoon. If the pot goes dry, add 2 tablespoons of clam liquor. Toasting gives juk its body; without it, you have rice soup.

5. 5

   Simmer slowly

   Add 4 1/2 cups of the strained clam liquor to the rice and stir well. Bring it to a boil, then lower the heat to a gentle simmer. Cook 18 minutes, stirring every 3 to 4 minutes so the rice releases starch without sticking. Add the remaining 1 cup liquid in two additions as the rice swells. The porridge should move slowly around the spoon, not sit like paste. If it tightens before the rice is tender, add hot water a few tablespoons at a time.

6. 6

   Add the vegetables

   Stir in the onion and carrot and simmer 5 minutes. Stir in the zucchini and cook 4 to 5 minutes more, until the rice grains have split at the edges and the vegetables are tender but still visible. Keep the dice small, about 1/4 inch, so every spoonful gets vegetable without hiding the clams.

7. 7

   Finish gently

   Return the clam meat and any reserved shells to the pot. Stir in the guk-ganjang and simmer 1 to 2 minutes, only long enough to warm the clams through. Taste before adding salt. If the porridge tastes flat, add fine sea salt 1/8 teaspoon at a time, usually no more than 1/4 teaspoon total. Turn off the heat, stir in the finishing sesame oil, cover, and rest 5 minutes. The rest finishes the rice without punishing the clams.

8. 8

   Serve warm

   Ladle the juk into bowls and scatter scallion, crushed sesame seeds, and gim over the top if using. Serve with kkakdugi or baek-kimchi, something crisp and clean beside the soft rice. Juk thickens as it stands, so loosen leftovers with hot water or saved clam liquor when reheating.

Chef Tips

• •Buy live clams that feel heavy, smell clean, and close when tapped. Spring clams are best on the west coast. In hot months, buy only from a fishmonger you trust and keep them cold until the moment you cook.
• •Strain the clam liquor even if the clams looked clean. Tidal-flat sand is small and patient. A paper towel in the sieve saves the whole pot.
• •Notebook 58 says this amount of clams and rice usually needs only 1/2 teaspoon guk-ganjang and no more than 1/4 teaspoon salt. Your clams may disagree. Taste first, then season.
• •Frozen shucked clams are a safe shortcut when live clams are poor. Use 250g thawed clams and 5 1/2 cups low-salt clam juice mixed with water, but do not skip toasting the soaked rice in sesame oil.
• •Cooked rice can make a quicker juk: use 3 cups cooked short-grain rice and 4 cups clam liquor, then simmer 15 minutes. It will be softer and less nutty, but it is honest weeknight cooking.

Advance Preparation

• •The rice can be rinsed, soaked 30 minutes, drained, and refrigerated up to 8 hours ahead. Keep it covered so the grains do not dry out.
• •The clams can be opened and the liquor strained up to 1 day ahead. Store the clam meat and liquor separately in the refrigerator, then return the meat only at the end of cooking.
• •Finished juk is best the day it is made. Cool leftovers within 2 hours, refrigerate up to 2 days, and reheat gently with water or saved clam liquor until fully hot.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 430g)