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Korean

Jeonbok-Juk — Abalone Porridge from Jeju (전복죽)

Jeonbok-juk (전복죽) is the prestige porridge of Korean cuisine — live abalone (Haliotis discus hannai, 전복) cleaned, sliced thinly, the liver retained and stirred into the porridge for its distinctive green-gold colour and intensely savoury flavour. The rice is cooked in sesame oil first (the signature Korean porridge technique of juk) before liquid is added — this creates a firmer grain structure that doesn't dissolve into paste during the long simmer. Jeju's jeonbok-juk uses abalone caught by the island's haenyeo (해녀, free-diving women) — the living tradition of female free-divers who have harvested Jeju's coastal seafood for centuries.

‹Swipe for the next dish›
ServesFour portions
Within reach4of 4 in Bowen Island

Four in town.

How the 4 are reached
In town
4 · live abalone (Haliotis discus hannai, 전복), short-grain white rice, sesame oil, fine sea salt
Cook
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I

The Market List

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4
live abalone (Haliotis discus hannai, 전복)
livers reserved separately; flesh sliced 3–4 mm
In town · Bosa Foods · Vancouver → · also Angel Seafoods · Vancouver
200 g
short-grain white rice
washed and drained
In town · Bosa Foods · Vancouver →
2 litres
water
Your own market
2 tbsp
1 tsp
fine sea salt
to finish; adjust at table
In town · Bosa Foods · Vancouver →

Within reach counts in town, delivered, shipped and the nearest city. A staple counts once it has a local seller. Charted from each shop's own pages; not yet vouched by a cook who shops here.

The larder of Bowen Island →

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II

The Method

1
Remove the abalone from the shell using a spoon, separating the dark green liver (내장) from the white muscle, and set the liver aside in a small dish so it does not overcook at this stage and can be added precisely later. Trim away the mouth and any dark membrane from the muscle, then slice the muscle thinly on a slight bias at 3–4 mm — the bias cut opens more surface to the heat so the slices cook evenly through in the brief time they spend in the porridge. The flesh is ready when the slices are uniform and still glisten with their own moisture.
2
Place a heavy-based pot over medium heat, add the sesame oil and the washed, drained rice, and stir continuously for 2–3 minutes, coating every grain in the oil so the fat forms a fine barrier around each grain that slows starch release and gives the finished porridge a silky, flowing body rather than a gluey one. The rice is ready to proceed when it turns faintly translucent at the edges and the sesame oil's fragrance rises cleanly from the pot.
3
Pour the water into the pot in a steady stream rather than all at once so the heat in the pot is not shocked and the oil coating on the grains stays intact. Raise the heat to bring the liquid to a first boil, then immediately reduce to the gentlest possible simmer, set the lid ajar, and cook for 25–30 minutes, stirring from the bottom every few minutes to prevent the rice from settling and scorching. The porridge is ready to receive the abalone when the grains have bloomed and softened but still hold discrete form, and the whole loosely coats the back of a spoon yet flows slowly when tilted — never thick as paste.
4
Add the sliced abalone to the porridge, then stir in the reserved liver so its colour and deep sea flavour distribute evenly through the pot rather than pooling in one place. Simmer gently, lid ajar, for exactly 5 minutes — the liver will dissolve into the liquid, turning the porridge a characteristic green-gold. The abalone is done when it yields to gentle pressure between the fingers — soft but with a slight resistance, never rubbery.
5
Season with sea salt. Ladle into warmed bowls immediately so the porridge does not tighten in the pot. The finished porridge should pool slowly in the bowl and hold its green-gold colour throughout.
III

Quality Hierarchy

01
Reserve — Live haenyeo-harvested Jeju abalone (Haliotis discus hannai), sourced directly from Jeju Island's coastal markets or shipped live; freshly pressed single-origin sesame oil from a Korean producer.
02
Estate — Live farmed Korean abalone, purchased from a Korean fishmonger the same day; good-quality Korean sesame oil purchased in small quantities and kept refrigerated.
03
Market — Live abalone of any reliable commercial variety available from a specialist fishmonger; standard Korean sesame oil from an Asian grocer.
04
House — The dish cannot be made at house level without meaningful compromise — fresh abalone is the only appropriate ingredient for jeonbok-juk at the quality level the dish merits; canned or processed abalone produces only a facsimile.
IV

Sensory Tests

◇Smell. Sesame oil rises cleanly and fragrantly from the rice after 2–3 minutes of dry-stir — the grains are coated and ready for liquid.
◇Sight. After the long simmer, individual grains have bloomed and are visible but soft; the porridge flows slowly from a tilted spoon without holding a stiff shape.
◇Sight. After the liver is added, the porridge turns an even green-gold throughout — the liver has dissolved fully into the cooking liquid.
◇Touch. A slice of abalone pressed lightly between the fingers yields softly but offers slight resistance — it is tender, not rubbery.
◇Where it lives or dies. The 1:10 rice-to-water ratio, held at the gentlest simmer with the lid ajar, determines whether the porridge achieves its characteristic loose, flowing texture — stray from it and the dish becomes either thin broth or stiff paste.
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VI

What to Pour

Pouring for British Columbia · ·

Jeonbok-juk is most naturally accompanied by water or a mild Korean barley tea (boricha, 보리차), which echoes the porridge's restorative character without competing with the quiet intensity of abalone and sesame. Should an alcoholic pairing be required, a clean, unfiltered Korean makgeolli — cloudy, lightly effervescent, and low in alcohol — complements the savoury-green depth of the liver without overwhelming the bowl.

The whole pairing
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Sourced through Provenance

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Bosa Foods · Vancouver
Vancouver · live abalone (Haliotis discus hannai, 전복), short-grain white rice, sesame oil
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