Hobakjuk (Korean pumpkin porridge)

Photo: Korean Bapsang

Sweet, golden and thick enough to stand a spoon in, with chewy little rice balls. Korea eats it for breakfast, for the sick and for the first cold week. Hyosun's is the classic.

From Hyosun Ro at Korean Bapsang · @koreanbapsang

Kabocha (danhobak) cooks down to a naturally sweet, velvety base; ground sweet rice thickens it, and the rice-flour balls (saealsim) give it chew.

You need

• 1 kabocha (danhobak) or small pumpkin, about 2 lb (900 g)
• ½ cup sweet (glutinous) rice, soaked in water for at least 1 hour
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 to 2 tbsp brown sugar, to taste (or none)
• About 6 cups water, divided
• For the rice balls: ½ cup sweet rice flour (chapssal garu or mochiko), 2 tsp sugar, ¼ tsp salt, about 3 tbsp just-boiled water
• Optional: ¼ cup red beans (pat), soaked and boiled until soft
• To finish: 1 tbsp pine nuts, pumpkin seeds or sliced jujubes (walnuts or pecans work too)

How to make it

1. Microwave the whole kabocha for 3 to 4 minutes (prick it first) so the skin softens. Cut it in half, scoop out the seeds and peel it, then cut it into 2-inch chunks.
2. Put the squash in a pot with 4 cups of water, bring to a boil and simmer, covered, for 15 to 20 minutes, until completely soft.
3. While it cooks, drain the soaked rice and blend it with 1 cup of fresh water until it's as fine as you can get it. Set aside.
4. Make the rice balls: mix the sweet rice flour, sugar and salt, then stir in the hot water a tablespoon at a time and knead into a smooth dough like soft clay (add a few drops more water if it cracks). Roll into ½-inch (1 cm) balls.
5. Mash the squash in its water with a potato masher, or blend it smooth. Pour in the ground rice and bring back to a simmer over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon so it doesn't stick, for about 10 minutes, until it thickens and turns glossy. Add a little water if it gets too thick.
6. Drop in the rice balls. When they float, cook 2 minutes more so they're cooked through. Stir in the salt and sugar to taste, and the red beans if using.
7. Serve hot in bowls, topped with pine nuts, seeds or jujubes.

Written in our own words from Hyosun Ro's recipe, with their quantities. The original: Hobakjuk (Korean pumpkin porridge), Korean Bapsang.

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