Bam-juk (밤죽, Chestnut Porridge)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Heavy-bottomed 3-quart pot
• •Small sharp paring knife
• •Blender or food processor
• •Wooden spoon or silicone spatula
• •Fine-mesh sieve, optional for a very smooth porridge

Instructions

1. 1

   Soak the rice

   Rinse the rice in three changes of cool water, rubbing it gently, until the water runs mostly clear. Cover with fresh water by 2 inches and soak 2 hours, then drain well. Soaked rice breaks down into a soft cream; dry rice stays stubborn in the middle, and no amount of stirring will make it gentle.

   Overnight soaking is fine. Keep the rice covered in the refrigerator, then drain it just before grinding.
2. 2

   Boil the chestnuts

   Lay each chestnut flat side down on a folded towel and cut a shallow X through the shell on the rounded side. Put them in a pot, cover with water by 2 inches, and boil 20 to 25 minutes, until a skewer slides into one easily. Turn off the heat and lift out only a few at a time, leaving the rest hot in the water. Peel away both the shell and the brown inner skin while warm. You need 300g peeled chestnuts; that number matters because too much chestnut makes the porridge pasty, and too little makes it taste like plain rice.

   The safe shortcut is unsweetened peeled cooked chestnuts. Warm them in plain water for 5 minutes before grinding. Do not use candied chestnuts; they make this bowl taste of sugar before chestnut.
3. 3

   Grind the base

   Reserve 2 tablespoons of the peeled chestnuts and chop them finely if you want small pieces in the finished bowl. Put the drained rice in a blender with 1 cup of the measured water and pulse until the grains look like fine wet sand, not a perfectly smooth paste. Add the remaining chestnuts and 2 more cups water, then blend until the chestnuts are smooth. This gives the porridge body without making it gluey.

4. 4

   Start the porridge

   Pour the rice and chestnut mixture into a heavy 3-quart pot. Add the remaining 2 cups water and stir before the heat goes on, because rice starch settles quickly. Bring it to the first quiet bubbling at the edge over medium-low heat, stirring from the bottom with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula.

5. 5

   Simmer until soft

   Lower the heat and simmer 25 to 30 minutes, stirring every minute and scraping the corners of the pot. Add the reserved chopped chestnut after 15 minutes if using. If the porridge thickens before the rice is fully tender, add hot water 1/4 cup at a time. It is ready when a cooled grain rubbed between your fingers has no hard center and the spoon leaves a soft trail through the porridge for a moment before it closes.

   Do not walk away in the last 10 minutes. Chestnut and rice both like the bottom of the pot too much.
6. 6

   Season and serve

   Stir in the salt and the honey or sugar, if using, and simmer 2 minutes more. Taste before adding more sweetness. Chestnut should lead, salt should only wake it up, and sugar should stay behind it. Rest off the heat for 5 minutes, then ladle into bowls. Garnish with pine nuts and jujube slivers if the bowl is for the table; leave them off for a convalescent or elder who needs it perfectly smooth.

Chef Tips

• •Choose chestnuts that feel heavy for their size, with tight, glossy shells and no rattle when shaken. A rattling chestnut has dried inside. A soft spot means it has already begun to spoil.
• •The brown inner skin is not a small matter. Leave it on and the porridge turns darker and faintly bitter. Peel while the chestnuts are warm, or use unsweetened peeled cooked chestnuts and spend your care on the simmering.
• •Use the sugar as a correction, not as the point. Good autumn chestnuts may need none. If the bowl tastes flat, add the measured salt first, then decide whether the honey belongs.
• •For an elder or anyone who needs a very smooth bowl, skip the pine nuts and jujube and blend the cooked porridge once more with a little hot water. Texture is kindness when someone is tired.
• •Leftover bam-juk thickens in the refrigerator. Reheat it gently with 2 to 4 tablespoons water per serving, stirring from the bottom until it returns to a soft spoonable texture.

Advance Preparation

• •The rice can be soaked overnight in the refrigerator, covered with water. Drain it well before grinding.
• •Chestnuts can be boiled and peeled up to 2 days ahead. Keep them refrigerated in an airtight container, or freeze them up to 2 months.
• •Cooked bam-juk keeps up to 3 days refrigerated. Reheat only the portion you need, loosening it with hot water as it warms.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 310g)