Nurungji (Korean Scorched Rice)

Ingredients

For the Nurungji

• 4 cups cooked short-grain rice
• Sugar (optional)

For Sungnyung (Scorched Rice Tea)

• Water or Boricha (barley tea)

First, Prepare the Rice Layer

This is best done right after you’ve cooked and served a pot of rice.

After fluffing and serving the rice, leave a thin, even layer of rice sticking to the bottom and sides of the pot. If there are any bare patches, you can press a little more rice into those spots with a rice paddle to even it out.

If you want a sweet treat, you can sprinkle a thin layer of sugar over the rice at this stage.

Next, Cook the Nurungji

Put the pot back on the stove over low heat, uncovered. Let it cook for ~15-20 minutes. The timing will depend on your pot and stove, so start checking it after about 10 minutes.

You will hear it crackling as the moisture evaporates. About halfway through, the rice should have formed a single cracker that you can wiggle and slide around the bottom of the pot.

Finally, Finish and Serve

There are two ways to enjoy this.

For crispy nurungji, continue to cook the rice cracker until the edges start to curl in and it is completely dry and a light golden brown. You should be able to lift the whole thing out easily. Break it into pieces and eat it as a snack.

For sungnyung (scorched rice tea), stop cooking when the nurungji is about half-scorched but still has some soft grains. Turn off the heat and pour water or barley tea directly into the pot. Let it infuse for a few minutes to create a comforting, toasty-flavored tea with soft rice at the bottom.

Nurungji (Korean Scorched Rice)

prep time:5 minutes mins

cook time:20 minutes mins

total time:25 minutes mins

Nurungji is that golden, crispy rice crust from the bottom of the pot that everyone fights over – except you make it on purpose. You spread leftover cooked rice thin in the pot and let it slowly crisp up over low heat until it turns into this giant rice cracker you can break into pieces or turn into a toasty tea.

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Ingredients

For the Nurungji

• ▢ 4 cups cooked short-grain rice
• ▢ Sugar optional

For Sungnyung (Scorched Rice Tea)

• ▢ Water or Boricha barley tea

Instructions

• Leave a thin, even layer of rice on bottom of pot after serving freshly cooked rice.
• Press additional rice into any bare spots to create uniform layer.
• Return pot to stove over low heat, uncovered.
• Cook until rice forms a single cracker that slides in pot, about 10 minutes.
• Continue cooking until edges curl and rice is light golden brown, about 5-10 minutes more.
• Remove from pot and break into pieces to serve as crispy snack.

Notes

Optional – sprinkle sugar over rice before cooking for a sweet version. For rice tea (sungnyung), stop cooking when half-scorched and add hot water or barley tea to pot. Let steep 3-5 minutes before serving.