Jatjuk (pine nut porridge)

Jatjuk (Institute of Traditional Korean Food)

Jatjuk is a porridge made of skinned and finely ground pine nuts and non-glutinous rice. Jatjuk is sweet and soft. It was enjoyed by kings in the royal court in olden days, and is enjoyed by men and women of all ages today. Pine nuts have a lot of protein and unsaturated fatty acids. Therefore, they are ranked top among whole nuts.

Ingredients

● 1 cup non-glutinous rice, 1 1/2 cups water

● 3/4 cups pine nuts, 1/2 cup water

● 4 cups water, 1 tsp salt

1. Wash the rice and soak in water for 2 hours, drain water in a strainer for 10 minutes. Grind rice with water in a mixer for 2 minutes and sieve finely.

2. Remove the tops of the pine nuts and wipe the nuts with a dry cotton cloth, grind them with water in a mixer and sieve finely.

3. Put the ground rice and water in the pot, boil it for 5 minutes on high heat with stirring so it will not be lumpy.

4. When it boils, reduce the heat to medium, cover with the lid so it will be steamed, and boil for 15 min., stirring occasionally. Add ground pine nuts and boil it for 5 min. more.

5. When the porridge is well-sodden, season with salt and bring it to a boil once more.

Tip

● If the rice and pine nuts are ground together, the stirring is too strong while the porridge is boiling, and/or the seasoning is done too early, the porridge will become watery and spoil easily.

(Adapted from the Institute of Traditional Korean Food)