I've been indulging in so much bread and pastries this past week that I'm missing rice dearly (yes, I know...I'm clearly very Asian 😆)! And last year I was introduced to this Korean multigrain rice, or japgokbap, that's transformed both my rice and bean experience. It's pretty incredible.
I'm not sure about you guys, but if you know me, I was not a big fan of beans. Now, I practically eat beans everyday, thanks to japgokbap. Sometimes when I feel bored and get the munchies, I'd eat japgokbap with a little bit of sugar sprinkled on top. Yeah, I know crazy right? Well this shows you how much I'm liking this Korean multigrain rice. 🤪
But what is Japgokbap or this Korean multigrain rice you're talking about?
Japgokbap is a mixture of glutinous white rice, sometimes brown or black rice, and mixture of beans and grains like black beans, red adzuki beans, and barley. Because of all these additional grains and beans added to white rice, it's much more nutritious and heartier than plain white rice, which is why it's a Korean favorite!
If you are looking for ways to add more plant protein into your diet and upgrade your rice option, you should definitely give this a try!
Let's answer some japgokbap FAQs:
What kind of beans and grains can I use?
Honestly, you can add basically any grain that you'd like to the white rice base. Commonly, you see sweet black rice or brown rice, red beans, red adzuki beans, black beans, chickpeas, millet, and barley being added to japgokbap.
Premixed bean packs, like this Assi brand, makes shopping more convenient. The downfall to using this premixed bag is that you can't pick and choose which beans you want or don't want.
As of now, I prefer making my japgokbap by adding brown rice and Assi brand's mixed beans to my medium grain white rice.
What is the right kind of rice to use?
Medium grain rice or sweet rice is recommended for japgokbap because of their sticky nature after it's cooked.
If long grain rice is all you have at home, there's nothing wrong with using it up! It won't have the same texture and stickiness as the medium grains, but it'll still taste good. Just give medium grain rice a try when you're able to get your hands on some!
I like to use Kokuho brand medium grain white rice for japgokbap (it's also the rice I use normally). Oftentimes, I'll add equal amount of medium grain brown rice (currently, I'm using Nishiki brand) for some additional chew.
You can see that this rice is shorter and fatter than regular long grain rice (like jasmine or basmati) but longer than short grain rice (like sushi rice).
Is soaking the beans mandatory?
Yes, the beans must be soaked so that they can rehydrate. Plus, this will save you from having to eat crunchy beans or having to cook these beans for forever.
However, if you forget to soak the beans the night before, you can boil them with twice the amount of water to beans for 15 minutes, then keep them soaking in the pot for 1 hour.
Make sure to add enough water to cover at least 2 inches above the beans.
The beans look almost doubled in size after 12 hours of soaking.
Do I have to use a rice cooker?
Unfortunately as of now, yes. I have not found a way to make japgokbap as good or close to the quality of the ones I make with a rice cooker.
I highly recommend getting yourself a decent rice cooker if you eat rice often or enjoy eating fluffy, good quality rice. Currently, I am using a Cuckoo rice cooker (Korean brand).
Cook with love!
Mei ❤️
If you made this recipe or any other recipes from our blog, please tag us on Instagram @twoplaidparons! We would love to see your creations! It makes our day 🥰
📖 Recipe
Korean Multigrain Rice (Japgokbap)
Ingredients
- 1 cup medium grain white rice
- 1 cup medium grain brown rice
- 1 cup mixed beans (or your choice of beans)
- 3 cups water
Instructions
- Soak beans.Soak mixed beans in water for 12 hours or overnight. Water should be at least 2 inches above the beans.
- Rinse rice and beans.Combine white and brown rice. Wash and rinse the rice 3-4 times until water is mostly clear.Drain beans. Rinse the beans once with fresh water. You can rinse the beans a few extra times if you do not want a lot of coloration in your rice. Add beans and rinsed rice to your rice cooker insert.Add water* and give everything a good mix.*If I place my hand flat on the rice, the water comes up to just below the 3rd knuckle on my middle finger. My middle finger is about ¾ inch thick. *
- Cook rice.Close the lid and cook on the rice setting.*Our Cuckoo rice cooker allows us to choose the "glutinous" setting and takes 45 minutes.*
- Enjoy!Fluff your rice and enjoy!
Sarah says
You said rice setting but there are a lot of settings on cuckoo rice cooker. Did you use white or multi grain?
Mei says
Hi Sarah!
Sorry for the confusion. Depending on the model of Cuckoo rice cooker, the settings may be different, but we've always used the glutinous setting.
Hope this helps!
Mei ❤️