Sae-woo Chae Juk (새우채죽) Rice porridge

This thick porridge is perfect for those cold winter nights when you need something hearty to warm you up from the inside out.

Ingredients:
1.5 cups soaked rice*
100g minced shrimp
1/2 onion diced small
1/5 carrot, diced small
1/3 pumpkin, diced small (호박)
2 shiitake mushrooms, diced small
2 spoons sesame oil
1.5 spoons cheong ju (청주)
8 cups sardine broth**
Pinch of salt

For frying with rice:
1 spoon sesame oil
1/2 spoon minced garlic.

Steps:

1. In a big pot, fry sesame oil and garlic.  Add rice, fry until rice grains become transparent.
2. Add onion, carrot, pumpkin, mushrooms, and fry until onions are clear.  Add shrimp and cheongju.
3. pour in broth.  Heat to boiling, reduce to low, simmer 20-30 minutes. Stir occasionally.
4. When the rice has absorbed most of the liquid, add salt, sesame oil to taste.

Notes:

* To make soaked rice, soak rice in water for 3-4 hours.  That's it!

** To make sardine broth, throw 7 small, headless dried sardines and a 10cm square sheet of dried kelp into 5 cups of boiling water for about 10 minutes then add 1 spoon cheong-ju (청주).  Strain.

- You can substitute ground or small chunks of meat for the shrimp, or use a different broth if you want.  Also, feel free to add whatever veggies you want or have in the back of your fridge.