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Recipe: Korean Shrimp Porridge

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Korean shrimp porridge, which is also known as saewoojuk, is made by slow-cooking rice in water until it gets a congee texture. Saewoo means shrimp while juk means congee or porridge.It is flavorful and healthy as it is labelled as low-fat, low-calorie and low-salt.

This dish is very important in Korean food culture, especially for those people that have illness, underwent surgery or those feeling under the weather. It is the ultimate comfort food in every occasion. This version of porridge is not so different from Chinese porridge, other than this version uses sesame oil to cook the ingredients.

The ingredients in the porridge is very flexible and can be cooked in one pot. It can also be served with kimchi or other side dishes such as pickles or japchae. The porridge can also be prepared in a slow-cooker and cooked overnight to be eaten in the morning. This healthy dish is also suitable for babies. In Korea, it is also widely consumed by women after giving birth, as it is said to promote healing and recovery.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup of short-grain rice
  • 1 cup of raw shrimp
  • 1/2 cup of carrots, diced
  • 4 dried shiitake mushrooms
  • 2 stalks of green onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoon of sesame oil plus more for drizzling on top
  • 1 sheet of Korean roasted seaweed, crumbled
  • 7 cups of water
  • 1 tablespoon of fish sauce
  • A pinch of salt

Directions:

  1. Rinse the rice in several changes of water, then cover with about 4 cups water. Then soak the rice for at least one hour to overnight. Then drain off excess water.
  2. Soak the shiitake mushrooms.
  3. Clean the shrimp and cut them into cubes. Then cut the carrots and shiitake mushrooms into small slices.
  4. In a pot, heat the sesame oil and fry the garlic until it turns golden brown.
  5. Add in the shrimp, shiitake mushrooms and cut carrots. Mix them evenly and cook for a few minutes.
  6. Add in the pre-soaked rice and stir until the rice becomes light and translucent.
  7. Add in water into the pot and boil.
  8. Simmer the porridge at low heat for 1 hour or until the rice has transformed into a thick texture.
  9. Add in fish sauce and some salt to taste.
  10. Top the Korean shrimp porridge with roasted seaweed, a little sesame oil and green onions.