Jeonbokjuk or jun bokjuk is literary a ‘juk’ or rice porridge with abalone. Authentic version use whole abalone, the muscle and the internal organ of the abalone. This abalone porridge usually served for the patient that suffreing from illness, elderly, pregnant and especially thr nearly giving birth mom. Instead using the freshor canned abalone that i can’t acess nearby, i using the dried abalone because rice porridge is need a slowcooking method. The dried abalone is stewing in a hot boiling rice until it turns into a soft and smooth rice porridge. When using a dried abalone, you have to prepare or rehydrate the dried abalone first. You can read how to prepare or rehydrate dried abalone from mf previous post Braised Abalone in Superior Stock and Oyster Sauce.
Korean aballone porridge or dried abalone congee is a earty korean rice-based recipe. This rice porridge taste really good is simply because the dried abalone trusted to preserved and concentrate the flavour. Dried abalone must be rehydrate with soaking in water first, then simmered for hours to break down the protein. Perfect cooked dried abalone should have a consistency when you touch a tip of your nose, but i prefer to gently touch my pointing /index fingertip with my thumb fingertip, then gently with another hand fingertip, feel the consistency of fleshy area between your thumb and the base of the your palm.
Rice congee with abalone recipe considered a delicacy in Southeast Asia, and East Asia (especially in China, Japan, and Korea). In chinese descent culinary, abalone is one of luxury items that served at least once a year for celebrate wealth during Chinese New Year. Fancy and special celebration like wedding are common occation for abalone dish.
Making abalone porridge is so easy, all the effort is waiting. The slow cooking made the abalone savoury and umami flavour released. The flavour of the dried abalone is superior than the fresh abalone, but the texture is not as crisp as the fresh abalone. I had the fresh abalone before in Jakarta, it cost me around 8 US$ for a tiny lil bowl of rice porridge and 3 thinly sliced abalone. Preety damn expensive for me, but i think it’s worth because the sliced abalone (i guess it’s from fresh) is tender and crisp, like a chicken gizzard. But unfortunately the aromas and the flavour pf the rice porridge is not as good as my jeonbokjuk/ korean rice porridge with sliced abalone

For a photo session, i “washed” the sliced abalone with chicken broth !
I guess every restaurand do that too..
Korean Abalone Porridge Jeonbokjuk Recipe:
INGREDIENTS:
- 100 gr prepared/rehydrated dried abalone (you can make this from 70-80 gr dried abalone), slice thinly
- 150 gr rice, soaked 30 minutes and drained
- 1/2 deboned kampong/malay chicken breast (similiar with free range chicken)
- 6 cloves garlic, bruised, finely chopped
- 3 cloves shallot, finely chopped
- 3 cm red ginger, bruised
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp, maekgoli/ cloudy korean rice wine (Bataknese descent used to called this tuak in Indonesia)
- 1 tbsp ganjang/ korean soy sauce( this is very fragrant ingredient, can be substitude with kikkoman)
- 8 cups chicken/ fish stock
- salt and pepper to taste
INSTRUCTION :
- Heat up the oil in the wokpan until sizzling hot, quick saute the garlic, shallot and the ginger until slightly browned
- Add the prepared dried abalone and chicken breast , continue saute for about 2 minutes
- Add the rice and continue saute another 3 minutes
- Add the oyster sauce, rice wine, soy sauce and season with salt and pepper
- Pour the chicken stock into the pan, bring to boil
- Simmer and continue stirring to prevent the rice sendiment sticking in the bottom of the pan
- If you like , pour the raw egg just before it serve and cover the pan
- Serve with the garnish
Garnish for serving:
- pigeon egg (chicken or quail egg can be the substitude)
- chopped bird’s eye chillies
- chopped garlic chieves
- peyek, indonesian rice fluor cracker with salted anchovies
- crispy seaweed (couldn’t find this lately)