Jeju Jeonbokjuk

Ingredients

• 4 medium live abalone, about 400g in the shell
• 200g short-grain white rice
• 1.2 litres water
• 2.5 tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 1 tsp light soy sauce for soup (guk-ganjang)
• 3/4 tsp fine salt
• 1 sheet roasted seaweed (gim)
• 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
• 1 spring onion
• 1 tbsp coarse salt for scrubbing

Before you cook

• Rinse the rice, cover it with cold water and soak it for 1 hour, then drain it in a sieve.
• Scrub the abalone shells hard with coarse salt and a stiff brush to remove the black film.
• Slide a spoon between the flesh and the shell to release each abalone in one piece.
• Cut away the mouth and the gut, but keep the soft dark green liver in a separate small bowl.
• Slice the abalone flesh into thin pieces about 3mm thick.
• Mash the green livers to a smooth paste with the back of a spoon.
• Shred the spring onion finely and crumble the seaweed sheet.

Steps

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of the sesame oil in a heavy pan over medium heat.
2. Add the sliced abalone and stir it for 1 minute, just until the edges firm up.
3. Lift out about a third of the abalone slices to use as a garnish later.
4. Tip the drained rice into the pan and stir it in the oil for 4 minutes, until the grains turn chalky white and smell nutty.
5. Stir in the mashed abalone liver and keep stirring for 1 minute as the rice takes on a green-grey colour.
6. Pour in 400ml of the water and stir until it is absorbed.
7. Add the remaining water in two more additions, stirring well between each.
8. Turn the heat down low and cook for 25 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes so the base never catches.
9. Check the grains, which should have burst open and thickened the porridge to the consistency of loose cream.
10. Season with the light soy sauce and the salt, then taste and adjust.
11. Stir in the last half tablespoon of sesame oil off the heat.
12. Ladle into warm bowls and top each one with the reserved abalone slices, the crumbled seaweed, the sesame seeds and the spring onion.