Juk means “porridge,” and if you hang around Koreans, you’re going to hear that word a lot. Thick and fortifying, with a satisfying nutty flavor, this version can be a quick breakfast for someone on the go or a snack for a student taking a study break. When I was young, my mom would wake me up every morning and ask if I wanted to go with her to the open-air market where she did her shopping. I wasn’t interested in shopping so much as I wanted a snack of kkaejuk. In the corner of the market was a woman stirring a big, steaming cauldron of it, with an adjacent bench for customers to sit on. She would ladle some of the golden porridge into a bowl and sprinkle some brown sugar on top. If you asked, she would place an egg yolk on top, which cost extra but was worth it. When I make kkaejuk now, I always remember the scene exactly: the woman, the bench, the market, my mom, and even the patterns in the porridge.
SERVES: 2
INGREDIENTS:
- ⅓ cup toasted sesame seeds
- 3 cups water
- ⅓ cup glutinous rice flour (chapssal-garu)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar (optional)
- 2 large egg yolks (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Combine the sesame seeds and 1 cup of the water in a blender and blend for 1 minute. Add the remaining 2 cups water and the glutinous rice flour and blend for 30 seconds.
- Transfer the mixture to a small heavy pot, add the salt, and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until the porridge thickens and bubbles start popping, 5 to 7 minutes. Then continue to cook, stirring, until the porridge is smooth and has thinned a little bit, another 5 minutes.
- Transfer to serving bowls, sprinkle with the brown sugar, if using, and place an egg yolk on top of each bowl, if desired. Serve immediately
