THE HUNT FOR ABALONE PORRIDGE! (전복죽!)

So as I was looking for the Kimchi recipe I saw another one by Maagchi that drew my attention. In part because Abalone is a funny word and also because I’ve never had porridge in my life. I feel that it’s important to know what a food tastes like before you try and make it for yourself, so, I must find a restaurant that serves it and have a taste.  In my experience, if you don’t know what a food is supposed to taste like, you’ve lost half the battle . Now off to finding a place that made Abalone Porridge…once that’s done I can make it for myself and post the results.

date: 10/15/11….really late at night

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Some time around 5PM:

Omo…I’m so stuffed I don’t know how I managed to make up the stairs! Okay I ate Abalone porridge 3 times today and I’m very confident I know how its supposed to taste…Oh no!! I’m too stuffed to taste the recipe once I finish. Heeheeee its time for some friends! I’ll be back with the final results tonight.

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Some time around 10PM:

Ooh yeah Maachgi did not let me down! This is one hell of a yummy dish. If I hadn’t been so full I probably would have had 3 bowls myself. Instead my friend Cindy and Jessica helped me taste test. They gave this 4 thumb’s up!

The beautiful Maagchi with yet another marvelous recipe!

You can replace abalone in this recipe with mussels, clams, shrimp, or even ground beef, but abalone porridge is the king of porridge!

When to make this precious porridge?

1. For yourself! You’re the most important person in the world!
2. For someone you love. They could be your parents, parents-in-law, spouse, girlfriend, boyfriend, or of course your children.
3. For someone special in your life who’s recovering from an illness.

Makes 2-3 servings.

Ingredients:

2 small size abalones (1 cup worth), 1 cup of rice, 7 cups of water, 2 tbsp. sesame oil, 1 tsp. salt, 1tbs fish sauce, 2 cloves of garlic, 2 green onions, ¼ cup of chopped carrot, and 1 sheet of roasted laver.

Directions:

1. Wash 1 cup of rice and soak it in cold water for 2 hours. Drain it through a strainer.
2. Clean up the abalones using a brush in cold running water. Chop it up and put it on a plate.
3. Chop some carrot (about ¼ cup), 2 green onions, and put it on the plate.
4. Mince 2 cloves of garlic and put it on the plate.
5. Heat a large pot over medium high heat. Add 2 tbsp. sesame oil.
6. Add the minced garlic, abalone, and chopped carrot to the pot. Stir it for 30 seconds.
7. Add the soaked rice to the pot. Keep stirring for a few minutes until the grains of rice look half translucent.
8. Pour 7 cups of water into the pot and lower the heat to low heat. Close the lid and cook it for about 30 minutes.*tip: Every now and then open the lid and stir the porridge so the rice doesn’t burn on the bottom the pot
9. Open the lid of the pot and add 1 tbsp. fish sauce and 1 tsp. salt (the amount depends on your taste).
10. Roast a sheet of laver and put it in a plastic bag. Crush it by rubbing the plastic bag.
11. To serve, ladle the porridge into a bowl and sprinkle the crushed roasted laver and chopped green onion over top.

A STAPLE OF KOREAN DINING- THE EVER SWEET RED BEAN PASTE (거추창)

For some of you out there, sweet red bean paste may sound like an oddity. Coming from a strong Hispanic background, where red beans are most definitely not a sweet to be combined with pastry’s, I know I sure did. But, sweet red bean paste is one heck of a yummy dessert filling! Now seeing as I know so many dessert recipe’s with it (I pretty much love anything that has it in it!) I figured I’d dedicate an entry to it before I set off on posting about all the varied desserts filled with it.

Ok, so there 2 kinds of red bean paste out there- chunky and pureed (or smooth), so I’ll show you how to make both.

Note: Make sure to wash the red beans and place in a large pot filled with water. Bring to a boil over high heat, drain, and discard the water. Continue with the instructions for either chunky or pureed red bean paste.

(Chunky)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (6.35 ounces / 180 grams) par-boiled red beans
• 1 cup granulated sugar, or to taste
• pinch of salt

Instructions:

1. Add about 3 cups of water to a pot containing the par-boiled red beans.
2. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce t medium, cover the pot, and let simmer until soft (45minutes t0 2 hours- water should mostly be absorbed)                                                                                                                                            Note: You should add water as needed while simmering to prevent the beans from being scorched.
3. Turn the heat t low and add one cup of sugar, then stir and mash against the side f the pot until water is no longer visible.
4. Add a pinch of salt and mix well. The paste should be thick with some whole and half-crushed red beans.

(Pureed)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (6.35 ounces / 180 grams) par-boiled red beans
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, or to taste
• pinch of salt

Instructions:

1. Add about 5 cups of water to a pot containing the par-boiled red beans.
2. Bring to a boil over high heat then reduce the heat to medium, cover the pot and simmer the red beans until soft (1 to 2 hours- there should be plenty of water left in the pot).
3. Drain out the water and pour the beans into a food processer. Process until smooth 
4. Press the pureed beans through a sieve to discard the skins.
5. Pour the puree onto a non-stick pan, add 1 1/2 cups of sugar (or more for added sweetness), and stir well over low heat until the sauce is dry.
6. Remove from heat add a pinch of salt and mix well. (The paste should have the consistency of mashed potatoes).