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Location18, Mukjeong-gil Byeonsan-myeon, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do
- CategoryFolk Food ∙ Local Specialties
- Korean김인경 바지락죽
- Chinese-粥
- FieldLifestyle & Folklore / Lifestyle
- Contents TypePlace Name / Facility
- Current Location18, Mukjeong-gil Byeonsan-myeon, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do
- Definition
- A local restaurant specializing in “Clam Rice Porridge”, located in Daehang-ri, Byeonsan-myeon, Buan-gun county, Jeollabuk-do
- Summary
- Kimingyeong Clam Rice Porridge is a popular local restaurant specializing in short-neck clam porridge prepared with locally sourced mulberries and mulberry leaves. The porridge is made by a traditional method, perfectly blending the soft texture of rice, the deliciously chewy clams and the savory flavors in one mouthwatering bite. Kimingyeong Clam Rice Porridge only uses rice cultivated in Gyehwa, Buan-gun county, which is slightly glutinous and aromatic so that the rice grain stays firm even when boiled for long hours. Fresh ginseng is also a key ingredient for the porridge by removing the fishy aroma of shellfish or potential toxins.
- Background of Construction
- Kim In-gyeong is the owner of Kimingyeong Clam Rice Porridge. She was born in Mokjeong-maeul, Daehang-ri, Byeonsan-myeon, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do. At a young age, her talent for cooking was apparent, so she learned how to cook short-neck clam porridge while helping her mother in the kitchen. Dreaming of being a cook, she worked in various food-related industries. Originally, Ms. Kim started Kimingyeong Clam Rice Porridge out of a warehouse container located in Murui-geori in Buan-eup, Buan-gun. Her food’s reputation for freshness and delicious taste spread by word of mouth, and customers flocked. After only three years in 2003, she moved to the current location. She holds patents for her two signature dishes, short-neck clam porridge cooked with mulberries and mulberry leaves and short-neck clams and mulberry patty. Fresh mulberry leaves, rich in fiber and minerals, and broth containing mulberry extract make her porridge more nutritious and well-balanced in taste. Kimingyeong Clam Rice Porridge is not only popular among Koreans but also tourists from Japan, China, Germany, etc.
- Development
- Kimingyeong Clam Rice Porridge opened in 2003, and since 2018, the restaurant has introduced new dishes like mulberry sea cucumber porridge. It’s worth mentioning how the new dish came to be. In 2018, the Buan Administrative Office in Jeollabuk-do conducted a training session for cooking sea cucumber porridge to introduce the country’s first dish of its kind sourced from sea cucumbers native to Buan-gun. With the supervision of professor Jeong Hye-jeong, the training session was held at a workshop of the Korean Culinary Department of Jeonju University. In attendance were the Head of Restaurant Franchise Operations in Buan-gun and the owners of six local restaurants [i.e. Kimingyeong Clam Rice Porridge, Byeonsan Myeongin Bajirak Juk, Jogae Mijukjip, Bakhap Sikdang, Gyeokpohang Hoitjip, Mohang Yeojeong Sikdang] seeking to introduce sea cucumber porridge. The event involved lectures on old historical records on sea cucumber porridge in Korea, the properties and nutritional value of sea cucumbers, the market for sea cucumber consumption, and the prospects for commercialization, and highlighted by a cooking demonstration and tasting session at the practice room. As a result, mulberry sea cucumber porridge was introduced as a specialty on the menu at Kimingyeong Clam Rice Porridge.
- Composition
- The restaurant has 110 seats and a large parking lot for 80 cars. It is open daily and its opening hours are from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. In winter, the restaurant closes at 7 p.m. Signature dishes are short-neck clam porridge, mulberry short-neck clam porridge, mulberry sea cucumber porridge, raw short-neck clams mixed with mulberries, short-neck clam and mulberry leaf patties.
- Current Status
- Kimingyeong Clam Rice Porridge received an award certificate from the Head of Health and Welfare Committee, Assemblyman Kim Chun-jin; a commendation from the Minister of the Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries at the Native Food Culture Festival; an award for “Outstanding Management in Food, Hygiene and Safety” by Jeollabuk-do; and an another one from the Governor of Buan-gun county at the Local Food Show. Kimingyeong Clam Rice Porridge obtained a certificate [No. 10-0905171] for its recipe of short-neck clam porridge utilizing mulberry extract and mulberry leaf and a patent [No. 10-0865454] for introducing a dough containing mulberry powder. The restaurant has been featured on numerous TV programs, such as “Taste vs. Taste: Byeonsan-bando” on SBS, “Muhanjidae Q: Food Made with Mulberry” and “TV Cheheom Salmui Hyeonjang: Cultivating Mulberry Trees” on KBS, and “Delicious TV: Taste of Spring Recommended by Announcer Jeonguk-sidae” on MBC.