Recipe: Hong Yeo-rim's pollack roe pot rice makes midweek cooking easy

Pollack roe pot rice [HONG YEO-RIM]

 
Chef Hong Yeo-rim says that meals should be easy to make. 
 
“Have you ever found yourself wondering, ‘What Korean dish should I make for tonight?’ I wonder if there is any other cuisine more time-consuming than Korean, with its soup, rice and numerous side dishes. So, how can I tell someone to whip up fancy Korean meals at home? Just cooking anything at all for oneself is already challenging enough,” said Hong, who is also the author of the cooking book “My Mom’s Recipes."
 

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"As a result, one-pot dishes or single dishes have become increasingly popular. And for those who don’t have side dishes or prefer not to make stews, a pot rice dish is a great option. It's a dish that adds rich flavor to plain white rice with the savory touch of sesame oil and egg yolk."
 

 

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Hong Yeo-rim's pollack roe pot rice

 

 

Pallock roe pot rice [HONG YEO-RIM]

 
Ingredients (3 people):  
 
4 pieces of pollack roe (depending on size) — 2 cups of rice — 2 cups of water — 3 to 4 shiitake mushrooms — 4 to 5 cloves of garlic — 1 piece of kelp — 1 tablespoon of anchovy liquid — 1 tablespoon of soy sauce — 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce — 1 tablespoon of perilla oil — 1 egg yolk — a slice of butter
 

Fried pollack roe [HONG YEO-RIM]

 
Instructions


1. Thinly slice the shiitake mushrooms and garlic.
2. Soak the cleaned rice in an equal amount of water, and add the kelp and anchovy liquid.
3. Heat the butter and oil in a pan, fry the pollack roe until golden brown. Be careful not to overcook them.
4. Set aside the pollack roe in another bowl, and in the same pan, stir-fry the garlic and mushrooms with soy sauce and oyster sauce over medium-low heat until the mushrooms are cooked.
5. Pour in the rice and its water along with the kelp, and boil at high heat.
6. When the water starts to boil, remove the kelp, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover with a lid, and cook for 13 minutes. Then remove it from heat.
7. Add the finely chopped scallions, roasted pollack roe and egg yolk. Let it rest for about 5 minutes.
8. Before serving, mix the pollack roe and mushrooms well with the rice and drizzle with perilla oil for added flavor.  
 
Pro tips from Hong Yeo-rim


Pollack roe is typically enjoyed fermented, but nowadays, it is distributed in various forms — from low-salted to pan-fry-ready versions. But the type of pollack roe doesn’t matter for this recipe. Just be mindful of the seasonings. Skip the soy sauce or oyster sauce if the pollack roe is preflavored, but add it if not.
 
It’s okay not to use a cast-iron pot to make this dish. A light sot (Korean traditional cauldron made of cast iron) or small pot work perfectly well for the pot rice dish.
 
A pot rice dish can also be made by combining fish or meat with potato or sweet potato along with a simple sauce. But I personally recommend pollack roe, which delivers an indescribably rich taste when fried and served with butter. 

BY HONG YEO-RIM, WOO JI-WON [woo.jiwon@joongang.co.kr]