Abai-sundae is the big, hearty blood sausage of the Hamgyong tradition, stuffed into wide pork large intestine rather than the usual narrow casing so it comes out thick and substantial. The filling binds pig's blood with glutinous rice, mung bean sprouts, cabbage and aromatics — meatier and more seasoned than the glass-noodle southern sundae — then steamed and sliced. Carried south by Hamgyong refugees, it became the signature dish of Sokcho's Abai Village and is eaten dipped in salted shrimp.
Sundae is eaten across Korea, but the Hamgyong style is distinct: glutinous rice in place of glass noodles, a pronounced hand with seasoning, and the use of fat pork large intestine for a bigger sausage. During the 1·4 Retreat of the Korean War, refugees from Hamgyong fled south and many settled at Cheongho-dong in Sokcho, raising a shantytown that became Abai Village — the only collective settlement of displaced northerners in the South. 'Abai' is the Hamgyong dialect word for an elder or father. The sausage was reportedly first presented under the Abai name in 1999, and it carries the longing of a people kept from home.
Far more filling than a slim market sundae — a thick, dense slice that chews substantial and rich. The blood gives a deep, mineral, faintly liver-like savor; the glutinous rice makes it sticky and toothsome; bean sprouts and cabbage lend crunch and a clean vegetal lift. The salted-shrimp dip cuts the richness with a salty, briny edge.
Pig's blood is the binder: as the sausage steams, its proteins coagulate and set the loose filling into a sliceable mass, the way egg sets a custard. Glutinous rice swells and turns sticky, reinforcing that bind, while the wide large intestine — thoroughly cleaned and rinsed — holds a much bigger charge than a small casing. Gentle, thorough steaming cooks the blood through without bursting the skin, and resting before slicing lets everything firm up so the rounds hold together.
Variations
Fillings shift with the cook: more or less glutinous rice, additions of fernbrake, perilla, tofu or chopped offal, and seasoning that runs from mild to assertive. Some shops keep it almost all rice and blood; others pack in vegetables. Beyond the steamed slices, leftover sundae goes into a spicy stir-fry or a hot gukbap soup. The salted-shrimp dip is standard, though a salt-and-pepper dip is also used.
On the Palate
Where Abai-sundae sits in the Korean flavor cloud
Pig's blood is the binder that sets the loose filling like egg sets a custard, so steam gently and thoroughly: cooked through it slices into clean rounds, but too fierce a steam bursts the wide intestine before the blood sets.
Ingredients
Serves 6
How it's made
7 steps · 2 hours
- 140 min
Clean the pork large intestine thoroughly, rubbing with salt and flour and rinsing until odorless.
- 220 min
Cook glutinous rice until just done and let it cool slightly.
- 315 min
Blanch and chop the mung bean sprouts and cabbage, squeezing out excess water.
- 410 min
Mix the rice, vegetables and aromatics with the pig's blood and seasoning into a loose, even filling.
- 520 min
Tie one end of the intestine and spoon in the filling, leaving slack room for the rice to swell; tie off.
Watch outLeave a visibly loose, half-empty stretch as you tie off; the rice needs that slack to swell into.
- 660 min
Steam the sausages gently until the blood is fully set and cooked through, pricking to release steam as needed.
Watch outSteam until a poke comes back firm with no raw wetness and the skin is taut but unbroken — that's the blood fully set.
- 710 min
Rest, then slice into thick rounds and serve with salted shrimp for dipping.
Watch outLet it rest and firm before slicing; cut too soon and the rounds fall apart.
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