Eo-juk (어죽, Freshwater Fish Porridge)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •5 to 6 quart heavy pot or stockpot
• •Large fine-mesh sieve
• •Medium-mesh sieve or food mill for pressing fish
• •Large bowl for catching broth
• •Wooden spoon

Instructions

1. 1

   Soak the rice

   Put the rinsed rice in a bowl, cover with cool water, and soak 30 minutes. Drain well. The soak lets the grains swell evenly, so they soften into the broth instead of keeping a hard center while the outside breaks apart.

2. 2

   Clean the fish

   Rinse the fish under cold running water. If the gills are still attached, remove them. Scrape away any dark blood along the backbone with the tip of a spoon, then rinse again and drain. This is not fussiness. Muddy or bitter flavors usually begin with blood and gills left behind.

   Buy from a fishmonger you trust. Freshwater fish must be cooked thoroughly, and fish from unsafe water does not belong in the pot at any price.
3. 3

   Simmer the fish

   Put the fish, water, kelp, radish, onion, ginger, crushed garlic, and soju or cheongju if using into a 5 to 6 quart pot. Bring it to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Pull the kelp out as soon as the water reaches a simmer, because kelp left too long turns the broth slick and bitter. Skim the surface, lower the heat, and simmer 35 to 40 minutes, until the flesh slips from the bone and the broth looks lightly cloudy.

4. 4

   Strain the broth

   Lift the fish and radish onto a tray and strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl. Discard the onion, ginger, kelp, and crushed garlic. When the fish is cool enough to handle, pick off any large clean pieces of flesh. For small bony fish, press the flesh gently through a medium-mesh sieve with a ladle, scraping the soft fish from the underside of the sieve. Stop before you force white bone splinters through. Measure 7 cups of fish broth and soft flesh together; if you are short, add water to make 7 cups.

   Do not use a blender here. It breaks fine bones into the broth, and no amount of seasoning will make that right.
5. 5

   Season the broth

   Return the measured broth and fish flesh to the pot. In a small bowl, whisk the doenjang, gochujang, gochugaru, and guk-ganjang with 1 cup of hot broth until smooth, then stir it back into the pot. The color should be warm red-brown, not thick and red like tteokbokki sauce. Gochujang gives warmth. It should not bury the fish.

6. 6

   Cook the rice

   Bring the seasoned broth to a steady simmer and add the drained rice. Cook over medium-low heat for 18 minutes, stirring the bottom every 4 to 5 minutes with a wooden spoon. Porridge catches quietly before it burns loudly. The grains should swell, split at the edges, and begin to thicken the broth.

7. 7

   Finish the porridge

   Add the diced zucchini and minced garlic and simmer 8 to 10 minutes more, stirring often, until the rice is soft and the zucchini is tender but still green. Stir in the perilla seed powder if using, then the scallions, green chili, perilla leaves, black pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Taste one spoonful after the rice has softened. Add another 1/4 teaspoon salt if it tastes flat, and the final 1/4 teaspoon only if your doenjang is mild. 손맛 is real. I still measure it, so it can be handed on.

8. 8

   Rest and serve

   Turn off the heat and let the porridge rest 5 minutes. It should be loose enough to move slowly when stirred, not stand stiff like cold rice. If it thickens too far, stir in hot water 1/4 cup at a time. Ladle into deep bowls and serve with well-fermented kimchi or kkakdugi. Check each ladle for stray bones as you serve, especially for children and elders.

Chef Tips

• •Carp and crucian carp give the old river flavor, catfish gives a rounder broth, and trout is a clean modern substitute when that is what your market has. Boneless fillets alone make a thin bowl; if you use fillets, add 300g fish heads or bones for the broth and strain carefully.
• •If the fish smells muddy, sour, or tired, do not try to fix it with more gochujang. My teacher would have sent it back without a word. Cook the month you're standing in, and cook the fish your market can honestly give you.
• •Perilla seed powder softens the edge of freshwater fish and thickens the porridge. Add it near the end so it stays nutty. Boil it hard for too long and it turns dull.
• •A pressure cooker is a safe modern shortcut for the broth: cook the fish, water, radish, onion, ginger, and garlic for 15 minutes at high pressure, then let the pressure release naturally. You still have to strain and sieve. That corner is not negotiable.

Advance Preparation

• •The fish broth and sieved flesh can be made 1 day ahead. Cool it quickly in a shallow container, refrigerate it covered, and bring it back to a full simmer before adding the rice.
• •Do not finish the porridge hours ahead if you can avoid it. Rice keeps drinking the broth and turns the pot heavy. Cook the rice stage close to serving.
• •Leftovers keep refrigerated for up to 2 days. Reheat gently with 1/4 to 1/2 cup water per serving, stirring until the porridge loosens and comes fully hot again.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 730g)