Onban (온반 (Onban))
Overview
Onban is a warm rice soup from Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea. A whole chicken is simmered slowly with garlic, ginger and spring onion to make a clear, mild broth, and the meat is torn into strips and seasoned with a little salt, sesame oil and pepper. A bowl of freshly cooked white rice is topped with the shredded chicken, sliced mushrooms and one or two mung bean pancakes called bindaetteok, then the hot broth is poured over everything. It is finished with spring onion and toasted sesame. The soup is gentle, savoury and comforting, and the pancake softens as it soaks up the broth.
History
Onban, which means warm rice, is one of the best-known local specialities of Pyongyang, together with Pyongyang naengmyeon, the cold buckwheat noodle soup, and a fish soup from the Taedong River. It belongs to the Korean family of gukbap dishes, in which cooked rice is served in hot soup. It is a comforting dish of the cold months, and it can also be found in some North Korean-style restaurants in South Korea.
Main ingredients
Chicken, rice, mung bean pancake, mushrooms, spring onion, garlic. The soup is built on clear chicken broth and is usually served hot. Diet: contains meat; usually gluten-free.
Explore: Bean soups · Chicken soups · Rice soups
Recipe
Method
- 11 h 15 min
Simmer the chicken with the garlic, ginger and spring onions in 3 l water for 1 hour 15 minutes, skimming well.
- 2
Lift out the chicken, tear the meat into strips and season it with salt, pepper and sesame oil.
- 35 min
Strain the broth, add the mushrooms and simmer for 5 minutes, then season with salt.
- 4
Put rice in each bowl and top with chicken, mushrooms and pancake.
- 5
Pour over the hot broth and sprinkle with spring onion and sesame.
- ✓
Serve. About 1h 50m from start to bowl.
Sources
Description, history and recipe written by SoupWiki and checked against the sources above. Calories and times are rough estimates.
