Onban

1. 1Cooked white rice bathed in hot, clear chicken broth
2. 2Topped — not stirred-through — with shredded chicken or sliced meat
3. 3Garnished with egg (often jidan, thin egg strips), mushrooms, and vegetables
4. 4A warming, brothy rice bowl rather than a thick porridge
5. 5Associated with Pyongyang and the broader Korean north

Broth-making

A clean, well-seasoned chicken stock is the heart of the bowl, carrying all the flavor

Egg-ribbon (jidan) preparation

Thin cooked egg sliced into strips is a defining Korean garnish that sits atop the rice

Assembling, not simmering

Rice and toppings are arranged and broth poured over, keeping each element distinct rather than melding into porridge

Served

A bowl of rice and toppings with hot broth poured over

Temperature

hot

Portion

Individual bowl as a complete meal

Pairs with

Kimchi · Banchan side dishes

• Chicken broth → Other clear meat brothadmissible

  Regional cooks vary the stock; the warm clear broth concept holds

• Clear broth poured over rice → Thick porridge or stewinadmissible

  Cooking the rice into the broth makes juk/porridge, not onban

• Separate toppings → Everything boiled together into a mushinadmissible

  The arranged, distinct toppings are part of the dish's identity

• Letting the rice cook into the broth so it turns to porridge
• Using a murky or under-seasoned stock — the broth must be clean and flavorful
• Skipping the egg-ribbon garnish that signals the dish
• Overloading with heavy toppings that bury the delicate broth

A regional dish of the Korean north, especially Pyongyang, where 'warm rice' soups warmed travelers and diners; rooted in pre-division Korean cuisine.

Claimed by: North Korea

1. 1.Korean regional culinary tradition

Confidence: medium