Korean
Vegan
Gluten freeHeukimja-juk
Black sesame rice porridge
Heugimja-juk (흑임자죽): silky black sesame rice porridge
This charcoal-grey porridge of roasted black sesame and rice is one of Korea's gentlest breakfasts, often made for elders, for people getting over a cold, or simply on a slow weekend morning. It is nutty, lightly sweet and smooth as cream. The mistake is burning the sesame: the seeds are already black, so you cannot judge by colour; toast them only until they crackle and smell nutty, or the porridge turns bitter. Chef's tip: grind the toasted seeds with a little of the soaked rice and water rather than on their own, which turns them into a smooth paste instead of an oily clump.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Serves
- 3
- Per serving
- 290 kcal
Ingredients
- 3 ⅛ oz short-grain ricesoaked for 1 hour
- 2 ⅛ oz black sesame seeds
- 3 ¾ cups water
- 1 tbsp pine nuts (optional)
- 1 tbsp sugaror to taste
- ¼ tsp salt
Tick what you have; the rest goes in the basket.
Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Toast 2 ⅛ oz black sesame seeds in a dry frying pan over a medium-low heat for 3–4 minutes, shaking the pan, until the seeds start to pop and smell nutty. Tip onto a plate to cool.
4 minStep 2: Drain 3 ⅛ oz short-grain rice and blend it with the sesame, the 1 tbsp pine nuts if using, and 400 ml of 3 ¾ cups water for 2 minutes until very smooth.
Step 3: Pour into a saucepan with the remaining water and bring to a simmer over a medium heat, stirring all the time.
5 minStep 4: Lower the heat and cook for 15–20 minutes, stirring often, until the porridge is thick and glossy and the raw-rice taste has gone. Add a splash of water if it gets too thick.
20 min
KrazyBadal
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Mixed sprout pullao
A quick, low-calorie way to use leftover rice: sprouted moth beans and green grams are cooked with garlic, ginger, green chilli, capsicum, spring onions and a few spices over a cumin and asafoetida tempering, then tossed with cooked rice. Served hot with fresh tomato and coriander.
Indian
Paneer biryaniRice and moong dal in coconut milk
A mild, creamy biryani: rice and husked green gram roasted in ghee, then cooked in coconut milk with peas, carrots, potatoes, peanuts and cashews, and finished with soft fried paneer and a fresh coriander yogurt. Serve hot, garnished with more fried cashews and paneer.
Khao kluk kapiShrimp paste rice
Everything on this central Thai plate is arranged in little heaps around a mound of rice tossed with garlic and fermented shrimp paste: sticky caramelised pork (moo wan), threads of sour green mango, shallots, chillies, sliced long beans, crisp dried shrimp and ribbons of thin omelette. You mix a bit of each into every spoonful, so salty, sweet, sour and hot arrive together. It's a favourite at Bangkok's curry-and-rice shops and a clever way to use up yesterday's rice at home; lime wedges and cucumber cool it down. Chef's tip: use day-old jasmine rice straight from the fridge, because freshly cooked rice clumps and smears the shrimp paste instead of coating each grain.
Thai