While the first two weeks between the Lunar New Year’s day and the 14th of the first month is considered the preparatory period for the year holding various memorial services for ancestors, January 15th based on the lunar calendar – the first full moon of the year known as jeongwol-daeboreum – is the real beginning of the year for living people. farming to trading, it’s when people embarked in earnest to work for their livelihoods. Ogokbap, or five-grain rice, was one of the traditional delicacies locals enjoyed to mark the special day. The unique dish cooked with five grains harvested the previous fall signified wishes for a bountiful harvest. At the same time, ogokbap was a very wholesome dish with rich nutrients.

Main Ingredients :

140 g glutinous rice, 180 g non-glutinous rice, 60 g black beans, 80 g red beans, 40 g glutinous African millet, 40 g glutinous millet, 3 g salt, 2 cups water, 2 cups red-bean-boiled water

Spices :

☑ Basic rice-cooking method:

1.Soak washed rice in water for about half an hour in summer or an hour in winter.

2.Put the soaked rice a pot. Control the amount of water by putting your finger in the pot until it touches the bottom. Pour water until it is level with the height of one knuckle above the surface.

3.Start by cooking over high gas. When it starts to boil, reduce the flame to medium high and cook for another 10 minutes. Let it cook for five more minutes over low flame.

☑ Prepare almost the same amount of glutinous rice and non-glutinous rice. But prepare other grains equivalent to 1/3 of the rice. Those who don’t like sticky rice can reduce the amount of glutinous rice while adding more non-glutinous rice.

☑ Hard red beans should be pre-boiled before cooking to enjoy the soft texture of the grain.

☑ Remove the bitter taste of the red beans by parboiling them in water first. Discard the first pot of red-bean-boiled water while keep the pot of the water infused with the red bean hue and flavor. The red-bean-boiled water will give the final result a mild red-bean hue with nutty and savory flavors.

☑ Salt is not added when preparing regularly cooked rice, but adding a pinch of salt in five-grain rice will help blend the different tastes of the rice and grains.

☑ Use steamed cabbage leaves and traditional sauce ssamjang to enjoy cabbage-wrapped ogokbap.

Seon Dong-ju: Head Chef of the Menu Development & Consulting Division of CJ Freshway

Head Chef of the Menu Development & Consulting Division of CJ Freshway

Head Instructor of CJ Cooks / Host of Hansik Cooking Class