It's not because I'm sick. It's because it's delicious.
When feeling unwell, ‘medicine’ and ‘juk’ (rice porridge) have always been inseparable companions. The perception that juk is only eaten when sick is now changing. Recently, a variety of juk that can be enjoyed as either spicy or hearty meals have been released one after another. Moreover, the convenience of purchasing ready-to-eat juk at nearby convenience stores, breaking the stereotype that "juk tastes best when made and eaten immediately," has led to an increase in people seeking out juk.
As juk is recognized not just as a simple meal but as a proper one, the standards expected of it inevitably rise. The ‘quality enhancement project’ for convenient juk meals seems to focus on rich ingredients. Among them, I personally tried four types of juk that received good reviews.
Seoul Manim Juk Nakji Kimchi Juk
The editor tends to avoid bland juk even when sick and looks for spicy flavors. This product perfectly caught the editor’s radar! It tastes very similar to the nakji kimchi juk recently released by a famous juk franchise. It is generously filled with crunchy kimchi and plump octopus, with a balanced ratio of rice, making it feel like piling plenty of side dishes on rice until the bowl is empty. Or it feels like kimchi stew with plenty of ingredients, boiled thoroughly with rice added.
Isn’t this a prime example that breaks the stereotype of ‘red juk’ being only for when you’re sick? It’s actually a food you shouldn’t eat when ill. Eating it during stomach cramps... NO! For the editor, who can handle spicy food well, the slight lingering spiciness at the end was just right, but a team member who is less tolerant of spice found it too hot after just one bite. If you want to neutralize the spiciness, it is recommended to tear some string cheese into small pieces and add it on top.
Heart Spoon Real Whole Pumpkin Juk
The strong aroma of whole pumpkin greeted the editor as soon as the packaging was opened. The product name was well chosen because it truly contains whole pumpkin. Generally, pumpkin juk is made by mashing pumpkin finely, so it lacks chunks. Of course, since it’s pumpkin itself, it can’t taste bad, but this product answered the editor’s long-held question: “How delicious would it be to eat whole pumpkin on pumpkin juk?” The answer is yes!
It is smoothly blended but not watery, rather thick and creamy. It feels like a soup cooked with very little water, and the overall sweetness is not from artificial seasoning but the natural sweetness of the pumpkin. The whole pumpkin pieces were about the size shown in the photo, divided into four chunks. Eating the mashed pumpkin together with the juk allowed the texture of the pumpkin to be fully experienced, making this a happy treat for root crop lovers throughout. Since there are no separate rice grains, it doesn’t harden when not reheated and remains delicious.
Seomjuk Clam Seaweed Juk
Seaweed, which helps with blood circulation and prevents various diseases! When you want to restore your energy, there’s no better ingredient than seaweed. Slurping the moist and soft seaweed feels like clearing years of clogged blood vessels. The editor is the type who always mixes rice into seaweed soup, especially loving when the rice grains and seaweed are soaked well in the broth. The plump seaweed provides a very soft texture as it slides down the throat. This seaweed juk is just the same. It tastes exactly like seaweed soup with rice, familiar as if eaten somewhere before. Above all, when eating seaweed soup, the seaweed is often hard to bite through with teeth, making it difficult to eat in one bite, but this product seems to reflect consumers’ concerns well. The seaweed is finely chopped into convenient sizes, and the surface texture of the seaweed stems is noticeable, adding a pleasant chewiness.
However, contrary to the name clam seaweed juk, the presence of clams was weak. Although clams were visible on the surface, almost indistinguishable from the product photo on the packaging, the unique umami flavor of clams was overshadowed by the seaweed. The clams were also small, so there was little chewing satisfaction. Personally, I think this disappointment would be resolved if the clam pieces were a bit larger.
Seomjuk Abalone Juk
Abalone, known as the ginseng of the sea! As abalone is a precious main ingredient, this was the most expensive among the four products reviewed today. But perhaps expectations were too high. I imagined seeing large, prominent abalone, but unfortunately, only a few small pieces were visible to the naked eye. This product differed the most between the photo and the actual item. Still, upon careful tasting, small pieces of abalone could be chewed. While the abalone flavor was present, it would have been better if the taste of actually chewing abalone was stronger. The editor, who prefers strongly seasoned food, found it rather bland, so side dishes were essential. Adding dried radish strips made a perfect combination. (Note) Still, as with any menu loved everywhere, it’s hard to find a bad-tasting abalone juk. Seomjuk’s abalone juk was similarly a common but tasty abalone juk you can find at any franchise juk restaurant.
The texture of the rice grains was soft, making swallowing smooth, and the sticky, thick consistency allowed for a satisfying bite each time. The hearty fullness was a bonus! It seemed like the kind of taste you’d think of first when you’re sick, have lost your appetite, but still need to fill your stomach.
Photo by Kim Taeyoon
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