brown rice dakjuk
Dakjuk is exactly what I want when the nights get shorter and the weather gets colder. A korean rice porridge/edible version of sitting by a cozy fire at night, this bowl is not only comfy and delicious, it’s immune boosting, filling, and open to all sorts of inspiration. I topped mine with a 6 minute egg, spring onion, celery leaves, EVOO, soy sauce, chili sauce, and pork sung (rousang) which is a salted, dried, shredded pork product that you can find at your local Asian grocer. Rather than the normal glutinous white rice that’s traditionally used, I opted for a local short grain brown rice. Feel free to go crazy and top it with kimchi, fried eggs, roasted broccolini, a cut up hot dog, roasted carrots, toasted seeds, sautéed kale, etc etc.
Ingredients
1 cup short grain brown rice
6 cups chicken broth (see below)
1 large carrot
1 yellow onion
3 cloves garlic
1 stalk of lemongrass (optional)
1 whole pastured chicken (2.5-3lbs)
2 tablespoons EVOO plus more for drizzling
2 teaspoons sesame oil
Sea salt
1 small sheet of dried kombu (optional)
1 lemon
Soy Sauce or Tamari
Toppings like eggs, pork sung, scallions, herbs, sesame seeds, or kimchi
Method
Soak the brown rice, covered in a few cups of cold water for at least one hour. Set aside.
Place the whole chicken in a large stock pot and cover with 3.5-4 quarts of COLD water. Add to the pot a half an onion (cut down the center once more) a half a carrot (cut in to a few chunks, one stalk of lemongrass, a stalk of celery cut in to chunks, an inch or so chunk of ginger and three crushed cloves of garlic. Bring pot to a boil and immediately reduce to a simmer, and let the broth bubble away for 30-40 minutes. Turn the chicken a few times during this process, as it will likely end up floating to the top. Add the sheet of kombu and continue to cook for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the breast meat on the chicken feels firm. Remove the chicken from the pot and allow it to cool while you make the dakjuk. Leave the broth simmering while you do the rest of this work.
Finely dice the remaining half onion and half carrot and add to a thick bottomed sauce pot with the EVOO, sesame oil and a pinch of salt. Drain the rice using a fine mesh strainer, then add to the pot. Stir and toast the rice grains with the veggies for 3-5 minutes, or until the grains of rice become aromatic and happy. Using a ladle and a strainer, add six cups of the broth to the rice, straining out any stragglers from the broth pot. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Stir occasionally with a wooden spoon and allow the rice to cook for 35-40 minutes, or until a thickened porridge consistency is achieved. While the rice is bubbling away, pull the chicken meat away from the bones, keeping it in large shreds, then add to a bowl. Add a strained splash of broth to the chicken meat to keep it nice and moist while you handle your other shit. Add the leftover chicken bones back to the pot with the remaining broth and let it simmer for a bit longer. This is extra chicken broth you’ve just been blessed with for another time.
Start preparing your toppings like your poached egg, roast veggies, scallion, greens, sprouts, etc. Fold the pulled chicken meat along with the fresh juice of half a lemon in to the rice porridge. Taste and add salt if needed.
To serve, ladle the meaty dakjuk in to bowls. Finish with a drizzle of EVOO and a splash of soy sauce before adding the toppings you’ve prepared. Scallions and sesame seeds are the most basic of toppings, but the sky is the limit here. Enjoy with a friend that likes to be cozy.
A few of my dakjuk toppings
The mysteriously delicious pork sung
