Kongnamul-juk (Bean Sprout Porridge)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Heavy 3-quart pot
• •Fine strainer or slotted spoon
• •Rice bowl or ladle for serving

Instructions

1. 1

   Soak the rice

   Rinse the rice in several changes of water until the water runs mostly clear, then soak it in fresh water for 30 minutes. Drain well. Soaking is not decoration here; it lets the rice soften into porridge without the outside turning gluey before the center gives way.

2. 2

   Make the broth

   Put 5 cups water, the kelp, and the prepared anchovies in a pot over medium heat. When the water reaches a gentle simmer, lift out the kelp right away, because kelp left too long gives a slick bitterness. Simmer the anchovies 8 minutes more, then remove them. You should have about 4 1/2 cups clean broth.

3. 3

   Start the porridge

   In a heavy pot, warm the sesame oil over medium-low heat. Add the drained rice and stir for 2 minutes, just until the grains look slightly translucent at the edges. This light coating keeps the porridge round and nutty, not flat.

4. 4

   Simmer the rice

   Pour in 4 cups of the anchovy broth and bring it to a gentle boil, then lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring often so the rice does not catch on the bottom. The grains should swell, split, and thicken the broth. Add the remaining 1/2 cup broth if it tightens before the rice is tender.

5. 5

   Cook the sprouts

   Add the soybean sprouts and keep the pot uncovered from this point to the end. Stir them into the porridge and simmer 5 to 6 minutes, until the stems are cooked but still have a clean bite. Lid-on or lid-off, choose one. For this porridge, lid-off is safer because you need to stir the rice.

   Do not cover the pot after the sprouts go in. Changing from covered to uncovered while they are half-cooked is what brings out the raw bean smell.
6. 6

   Season gently

   Stir in 1 tablespoon guk-ganjang and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Taste after 30 seconds, when the seasoning has moved through the pot. Add up to 1 teaspoon more guk-ganjang only if the porridge tastes thin. Soup soy sauce brings savoriness, but too much darkens the bowl and bullies the sprouts.

7. 7

   Finish and serve

   Ladle the porridge into warm bowls. Scatter scallion and toasted sesame seeds over each serving, and add crushed gim if you like. Serve at once, while the rice is soft and the sprouts still have life in them. A little kimchi on the side is enough.

Chef Tips

• •Buy soybean sprouts with pale firm stems and yellow heads. If the stems are slimy or the heads smell sour, cook something else today. My teacher would have sent them back without a word.
• •Guk-ganjang is saltier and more aromatic than regular soy sauce. If you only have regular soy sauce, use 2 teaspoons soy sauce plus a little more salt, but know the porridge will taste rounder and darker.
• •For a softer breakfast bowl, cook the rice 5 minutes longer before adding the sprouts. Do not cook the sprouts longer to soften the porridge; they will lose the clean bite that makes the dish.

Advance Preparation

• •The anchovy-kelp broth can be made up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated. Bring it back to a simmer before adding it to the rice.
• •The rice can be rinsed and soaked the night before, then drained and refrigerated. Do not add the soybean sprouts until the final minutes of cooking.
• •Leftover porridge keeps 2 days refrigerated, but the sprouts soften. Reheat gently with a splash of water and adjust with a few drops of guk-ganjang after warming.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 450g)