By Honorary Reporter Tanzzila Shaikh from India

Photo = Tanzzila Shaikh 

Because I've watched so many Korean dramas and reality shows while at home during the pandemic, I've learned more about Korean food. 

While watching the reality show "BTS in the Soop," I saw the group's member V make nurungji (scorched rice). Koreans used a pot to cook rice in the past, and nurungji was the overcooked bottom layer of rice in the pot. Nowadays, however, most people in Korea use electric rice cookers at home that don't have rice burn or stick to the bottom. Yet nurungji remains a food Koreans like, and people in India also eat the bottom layer of overcooked rice since so few use electric rice cookers. 

Experimentation with food in Korea has made nurungji a good snack. V sprinkled sugar on it for extra sweetness, but many like eating it with nothing added. It can also be served like porridge by just boiling nurungji with water.

The photo below shows the nurungji V made on the show.

And this photo is of the nurungji I made.

Making nurungji is easy with a bit of time. Just evenly spread rice over a pan, press it and let it cook. I had leftover rice the day I made nurungji so I used it. I cooked it for 20 minutes, and it got slightly burned. Still, it was tasty and crunchy. 

When I showed pictures of my nurungji to my Korean-language teacher, she told me it got burned because I didn't sprinkle water on it. So to those who try to make this food, don't forget to sprinkle water on it to avoid burning it like I did.

enny0611@korea.kr

*This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.