The Great Full Moon of the First Month, or Jeongwol Daeboreum (정월 대보름), falls on the 15th day of the first lunar month and marks the first full moon after the Lunar New Year’s Day. This year, it falls on Feb. 22. On this day, we can see the brightest and most luminescent moon of the year. On the morning of the Jeongwol Daeboreum day itself, people eat bureom where they crack hard-shelled nuts such as walnuts or peanuts with their teeth. Then they enjoy a bowl of ogokbap five grain rice and dried vegetables with their neighbors. At night, they go outside to observe the full moon and to make wishes for the new year.

Ogokbap five grain rice is one of the best-known dishes people eat on the Great Full Moon of the First Month. It's made from more than five kinds of grain, including glutinous rice, red beans, black beans, glutinous African millet and glutinous millet. The origin of ogokbap goes back to the Silla Kingdom. When King Soji (479-500), the 21st king of Silla, went on a picnic on the day of Jeongwol Daeboreum, he encountered a crow that saved his life by warning him about a future disaster. To thank the crow, the king ordered people to make yaksik, a type of sweet rice made with various nuts, jujubes and honey, which crows quite like. However, the commoners had difficulty finding the ingredients, so they made ogokbap instead. People believed that you needed to eat rice from more than three houses with different family names on the day of Jeongwol daeboreum so that you would have luck in the new year. For this reason, ogokbap is also called baekgaban (백가반, 百家飯), which means “it's good to share your rice with 100 households.”



On the day of the lunar new year's first full moon, people eat various kinds of dried vegetables that they prepared during the previous year, as well as various kinds of nuts along with the ogokbap. They make wishes, hoping that they can stay healthy and avoid the heat during the coming summer.

** Ingredients
360 grams (2 cups) glutinous rice
80 grams (0.5 cups) black beans
85 grams (0.5 cups) glutinous African millet
83 grams (0.5 cups) sweet red bean
300 grams (1.5 cups) "scalding" water
500 grams (2.5 cups) "boiling" water
85 grams (0.5 cups) glutinous millet

To prepare the water used to cook the rice:
100 grams (0.5 cups) water previously used to boil the red beans.
500 grams (2.5 cups) fresh water
10.5 grams (0.75 tablespoons) salt




** Preparation
1. Wash the glutinous rice. Soak it in water for 30 minutes. Let the water drain out through a strainer for 10 minutes.
2. Wash the black beans. Soak them in water for 3 hours. Let the water drain out through a strainer for 10 minutes.
3. Wash the glutinous African millet by rubbing it in water until the water is clear. Soak it in water for 1 hour, Let the water drain out through a strainer for 10 minutes.
4. Wash the sweet red beans and remove any foreign elements. Let the water drain out through a strainer for 10 minutes.
5. Wash the glutinous millet and let the water drain out through a strainer for 10 minutes.



** Recipe
1. Put the sweet red beans and the "scalding" water into a pot. Heat it for 2 minutes over high. When it boils, discard the "scalding" water. Add fresh water to the sweet red beans and heat it up for 3 minutes over high. Lower the heat to medium and let it boil for 20 minutes. Take care that the beans don't burst. Strain the beans and set aside.
2. Prepare the water for cooking the rice with some of the leftover water from boiling the sweet red beans. Add the fresh water and the salt.
3. Put the rice, black beans, glutinous African millet, sweet red beans and water for cooking the rice into a pot. Heat it for 2 minutes over high. When it boils, continue to boil it for another 3 minutes. Lower the heat to medium. Add the glutinous millet and boil it for 10 minutes. When the rice becomes sodden, lower the heat to low and steam it for 13 minutes. Turn off the heat and let it sit for 10 minutes or more until it's well done.
4. Mix the grains together thoroughly with a spoon and serve in a bowl.

Managed by Yoon Sojung
Korea.net Staff Writer
In cooperation with the Institute of Traditional Korean Food (ITKF)
Recipe from “The Beauty of Korean Food: 100 Best-Loved Recipes”
arete@korea.kr