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Korea, Asia · Hobakjuk (Korean Pumpkin Porridge)

Roasted Kabocha Hobakjuk with Ground Sweet Rice, Red Beans and Pine Nuts

Oven-roasted kabocha for deeper sweetness, cooked with freshly ground soaked sweet rice, then finished with whole red beans, separately boiled dumplings and toasted pine nuts.

ServingsServes 2
Total cooking time1 h
Soaking the rice+ 2 h
DifficultyMedium
About servingsThe dumplings are very chewy; cut them small and let the porridge cool a little for children and older people. If anyone is allergic to pine nuts, use toasted pumpkin seeds instead.

Method

  1. Rinse the sweet rice 3 or 4 times until the water runs clear, then soak it in plenty of water for . It is ready when a grain crumbles easily between your fingers.

    Add in this stepGlutinous (sweet) rice, raw 45 g

  2. Preheat the oven to 200 °C. Scrape out the kabocha seeds, cut the squash with its skin into 3 cm thick wedges, rub them with the oil and spread them on a lined tray without overlapping. Roast for , until the edges are caramelised brown and a skewer slides in easily. Let cool for a few minutes, then scoop the flesh off the skin with a spoon.

    Add in this stepKabocha squash (seeds removed, skin on) 500 gNeutral oil 1½ tsp

    oven

  3. While it roasts, make the dumplings: mix the glutinous rice flour and salt, add the hot water a little at a time, and once cool enough to handle knead until as soft as an earlobe. Roll into 1.5 cm balls and cover with a damp cloth.

    Add in this stepGlutinous rice flour, for the dumplings 60 gSalt, for the dumplings 1 pinchJust-boiled water, for the dough 50 ml

  4. Bring a small pot of extra water to a rolling boil over high heat and cook the dumplings for ; once they float, give them 30 seconds more, then lift them into cold water. Cooking them separately keeps the porridge clean and the dumplings springy.

    high heat

  5. Blend the roasted kabocha flesh with 70% of the water until velvety, pour it into a 18 cm pot and warm it over medium heat for , stirring.

    Add in this stepWater 490 ml

    medium heat

  6. Drain the soaked rice and blend it with the remaining water until you can no longer see any grains. Turn the pot down to medium-low heat, pour in the rice liquid little by little and keep scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon for , until the raw-rice taste is gone and the porridge is thick and glossy. Watch out for splutters.

    Add in this stepWater 210 ml

    medium-low heat

  7. Toast the pine nuts in a dry pan until just golden (they burn fast, so don't walk away). Add the red beans, drained dumplings, sugar, honey and salt to the porridge and simmer over low heat for more, then adjust the seasoning. Serve topped with the toasted pine nuts.

    Add in this stepCooked whole red adzuki beans (unsweetened, canned is fine) 80 gSugar 2 tbspHoney 2 tspSalt ½ tspPine nuts 2 tsp

    low heat

Cook's tip

Roasting drives off water and concentrates the kabocha's sweetness; leaving the skin on keeps the flesh moist. Freshly ground rice gives a nuttier, silkier body than flour, but it must be stirred until fully cooked or it tastes raw. If your red beans are sweetened, cut back on the sugar.

Cooking it at camp

There is no oven at the campsite, so roast the kabocha at home and pack just the flesh in a sealed container in the cooler. Soak and grind the rice at home too and carry the rice liquid in a bottle; then everything cooks on one burner. Keep the heat low and stir non-stop in a thin pot.