If you own a high-end Korean rice cooker like the CUCKOO CRP-P0609S, you’re faced with a control panel that goes far beyond “White Rice” and “Porridge.” You’re faced with intriguing, and perhaps confusing, options: “GABA” and “Nu Rung Ji.”
As user “Haley Kim” noted, “I love how it has different functions… and even got the Nurungji (crispy rice) function!”
These are not marketing gimmicks. They are sophisticated, multi-stage cooking programs rooted in food science, reflecting the machine’s Korean engineering heritage. Here’s what they actually do.
Decoding “GABA”: The Science of “Activated” Brown Rice
What it is: “GABA” stands for Gamma-aminobutyric acid. It’s a naturally occurring amino acid in our brains that acts as a neurotransmitter, and it’s widely believed to have various health benefits.
How it’s Made: Standard brown rice has GABA, but germinated (or “activated”) brown rice has significantly more. Germination is the process of the rice grain just beginning to sprout.
What the CUCKOO is Doing: When you select the “GABA” mode, you are not just cooking rice. You are initiating a two-stage, automated process:
1. Stage 1 (Germination): The cooker first soaks the brown rice in warm, precisely controlled water (not hot enough to cook) for several hours. This “tricks” the grain into thinking it’s time to sprout, maximizing the GABA content.
2. Stage 2 (Pressure Cooking): After the germination cycle is complete, the machine automatically switches to its high-pressure cooking mode. This is essential, as the now-germinated brown rice still has its tough outer bran, which only high-pressure (like the Cuckoo’s 11.4 PSI) can properly gelatinize into a soft, digestible, and flavorful meal.
The “GABA” button, therefore, is an advanced, automated food science program that turns a tough whole grain into a more nutritious, softer, and sweeter final product.
Decoding “Nu Rung Ji”: The Art of “Perfectly Scorched” Rice
What it is: “Nu Rung Ji” is the Korean name for the “scorched rice” or “crispy rice” that forms at the bottom of a traditional pot. This is not “burnt” rice; it’s a golden, crispy, nutty-tasting delicacy that’s often eaten as a snack or re-hydrated with water to make a savory “tea” (Sungnyung).
What the CUCKOO is Doing: Achieving this intentionally without burning is incredibly difficult. This is where the machine’s “Fuzzy Logic” and precise heating come in.
1. Stage 1 (Normal Cooking): The machine first cooks the glutinous (sticky) rice perfectly using its standard pressure cycle.
2. Stage 2 (Toasting): After the rice is cooked, the “Nu Rung Ji” program engages a final, high-heat, non-pressurized “toasting” cycle. It applies just enough direct heat to the X-Wall diamond-coated pot to dehydrate and toast the bottom layer of rice to a perfect golden-brown, without creating the acrid, “burnt” flavor.
Conclusion: Engineering Cultural Delicacies
These “mystery buttons” are the truest expression of the CUCKOO’s design philosophy. They show a mastery of cooking that goes beyond simple automation. The “GABA” button is an automated, multi-stage science experiment. The “Nu Rung Ji” button is an automated, high-heat “finishing” technique.
They are not gimmicks. They are proof of a machine engineered with a deep, cultural understanding of how rice can be transformed.
