Onban

Ingredients

The broth and chicken

• 1whole chicken
• or 4 large thighs
• 2 litreswater
• 1onion, halved
• 6garlic cloves
• 5cm ginger, sliced
• salt

The mung-bean pancake

• 200 gsplit mung beans
• soaked 4 hours, skins rubbed off
• 1spring onion, chopped
• a little water
• salt
• oil, for frying

To assemble

• cooked short-grain rice
• for 4 bowls
• shredded chicken
• sliced mushrooms, sauteed
• shredded egg omelette

To season

• soy sauce
• toasted sesame seeds
• chopped spring onion
• black pepper

Directions

1. Put the chicken in a large pot. Cover it with all of the water. Add the onion, garlic and ginger. Bring the whole pot up to a boil. Skim off all the foam that rises. Grey foam rises in the first minutes. Skim all of it off thoroughly. Let it cook for about an hour. Keep it at a bare simmer throughout. The surface should barely move. Check it rather than trusting the clock.
2. Lift the chicken out onto a plate. Let it cool enough to handle safely. Strain the broth through a fine sieve. Discard the onion, garlic and ginger. Strain all of them out entirely. Let the broth stand a few minutes. Skim the fat from the surface. Pull all the meat off the bones. Shred it along with the grain. Pull it apart rather than chopping it. Drain the soaked split mung beans.
3. Rub them to loosen any remaining skins. Rinse them and pour those away. Blend the beans with a little water. It should be a thick smooth batter. Add water sparingly as you blend. Too much gives a thin pancake. Stir the chopped spring onion in. Season the whole batter with salt.
4. Heat the oil in a wide flat pan. Ladle batter in to make rounds. Use a generous amount of the oil. These are shallow-fried rather than dry-cooked. Fry them for about four minutes. Turn them and give four more minutes. They should be golden and crisp outside.
5. Lift them out onto a wire rack. Let the excess oil drain away. Make a thin omelette and shred it. Beat an egg and fry it very thin. Roll it up and slice it into ribbons. Bring the strained broth back to a simmer.
6. Season it with salt and soy sauce. The broth should be clearly seasoned. Taste it and adjust it properly. Put hot cooked rice in each bowl. Use hot and freshly cooked rice. Cold rice cools the whole bowl. Lay the shredded chicken over the rice.
7. Cut the pancake into pieces and add it. Add the mushrooms and shredded egg. Arrange them in sections over the rice. Each topping keeps its own area. Pour the hot broth over everything. Pour enough to come partway up. It should not submerge the toppings.
8. Scatter sesame seeds over the top. Add plenty of chopped spring onion. Grind black pepper over the top. Serving it is always done immediately. Serve it with a spoon and chopsticks. It does not keep once assembled. Assemble every bowl of it fresh.

Technique

• The layering is the point: rice goes in first, the toppings over it, and hot broth poured over everything — that order heats the rice through and warms the toppings so it all reaches the table hot, which matters in a Pyongyang winter. The name means simply warm rice.
• Keep the broth at a bare simmer with the surface barely moving, and skim the grey foam thoroughly in the first minutes: hard boiling emulsifies the fat and makes the broth cloudy, where skimming and gentle simmering give the clarity that is wanted.
• Use hot freshly cooked rice, since cold rice cools the whole bowl and defeats the point. Pour enough broth to come partway up rather than submerging the toppings — this is a rice bowl rather than a soup.

Substitutions

• Four large thighs stand in for a whole chicken and take less time.
• Chill the strained broth to skim the fat easily, since it sets solid on top and lifts off whole.

Variations

• The mung-bean pancake, bindaetteok, is cut up into the bowl where it softens slightly in the broth and adds substance; it is characteristic of this dish.
• Pyongyang is best known for naengmyeon, the cold buckwheat noodle dish, and onban is its warm counterpart in a sense.
• Arrange the toppings in sections over the rice rather than mixing them, and let the eater stir it together.

History

A Pyongyang winter bowl whose name simply means warm rice, layering chicken, mung-bean pancake and broth over rice to hold heat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Onban?

Onban is a soup & stew from North Korea: warm Pyongyang bowl of rice, shredded chicken and mung-bean pancake in broth. A Pyongyang winter bowl whose name simply means warm rice, layering chicken, mung-bean pancake and broth over rice to hold heat.

How long does Onban take to make?

Onban takes 30 minutes of preparation and 1 hour 30 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 4. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Onban?

Yes, within limits. Four large thighs stand in for a whole chicken and take less time. Chill the strained broth to skim the fat easily, since it sets solid on top and lifts off whole.

What is the most important thing to get right in Onban?

Put the chicken in a large pot. Cover it with all of the water. Add the onion, garlic and ginger. Bring the whole pot up to a boil. Skim off all the foam that rises. Grey foam rises in the first minutes. Skim all of it off thoroughly. Let it cook for about an hour. Keep it at a bare simmer throughout. The surface should barely move. Check it rather than trusting the clock.