I’ve been so obsessed with Korean food lately that I had to buy another cookbook, called Pocha, published in 2024, written by Su Scott.

According to the author, pocha is short for pojangmacha, which literally translates as “covered wagon”; pocha is a tented or tarpaulin-covered stall, bar, or market vendor serving up cheap and unfussy Korean comfort food, snacks, and drinks.

We experienced these vendors at the Gwanjang Market in Seoul in 2023. Delicious looking food, unidentifiable food, and lots of kimchi!

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I’ve bookmarked probably two dozen recipes in the book, but the first one I wanted to try was this porridge dish. It just sounded so rich and creamy. But mostly I love the goodies that are suggested to top off the porridge.

After making the marinated shiso leaves, I purchased perilla oil; perilla and shiso seem to be used interchangeably; perhaps the plants are related.

From the author: “I like the restrained simplicity that allows me to truly appreciate the faint sweetness of humble everyday rice and the silky strands of velvety egg that add volume and sustenance to a dish that can otherwise be a little thin.”

Silky Egg Porridge
Gyeran Juk

Scant 1 cup short-grain white rice
1 tablespoon perilla oil
4 1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon yondu
1 heaping teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
2 eggs, lightly whisked, with salt
Sea salt, to taste
Pinch of sugar, optional

To finish:
1 spring onion, thinly sliced
Julienned ginger
Gim Jaban
Few drops of chili oil
Crunchy chili onion oil (optional)

Place the rice in a large bowl and rinse thoroughly by swishing it or rubbing it between your hands until the water runs almost clear. Drain, then fill the bowl with cold water and let the rice soak for at least 30 minutes. When ready, drain the rice using a fine sieve and set aside.

Gently heat the perilla oil in a heavy-based saucepan with a lid over low-medium heat. Add the drained rice and saute for a minute to coat in the oil, stirring occasionally to stop the grains from sticking to the pan. You will notice the fragrant aromas of perilla oil and in a minute or two, the grains of rice will start to appear translucent, at which point they will also start to stick to the pan more.

Gradually add the water, stirring to incorporate the rice into the liquid with control. Stir in the yondu.

Cover with the lid, increase the heat and bring the mixture to a high simmer. Reduce the heat to low and simmer gently for 25 minutes with the lid on ajar. Stir every now and then to ensure the ride does not get stuck to the bottom of the pan. You should notice very gentle bubbles erupting on the top and the blip-blip sound similar to the sound of simmering tomato sauce.

After 25 minutes, the rice should have broken down into a soft, creamy mush and the porridge thickened perfectly to a dropping consistency, when it falls off the spoon with a satisfying plop. Stir in the soy sauce and white pepper.

Carefully pour in the whisked eggs in a circular motion on top of the cooked rice, without stirring the pan. Leave to stand for 1 minute over low heat. Remove from the heat and give it a gentle stir to incorporate the eggs into the rice. Check for seasoning and add salt to taste; sometimes a pinch of sugar can be added to taste, too.

To serve, divide between four individual bowls. I placed the chili crunch on the porridge first!

Top each bowl with the spring onion, ginger, and Gim Jaban. Drizzle with a little chili oil, if liked, and serve warm.

This porridge was bland, but definitely silky with the addition of the eggs. The toppings were definitely enhancements. I especially loved the ginger, plus I’m a huge fan of crunchy chili onion crisp from Trader Joes.