Sweet Pumpkin Porridge (Korean Kabocha Glutinous Rice Porridge)
Quick answer
Hobakjuk is a Korean sweet pumpkin porridge made by steaming kabocha squash, blending it smooth with water, and simmering the puree with a glutinous rice flour slurry ove...
What makes this special
- Hobakjuk sweet pumpkin porridge uses steamed kabocha with skin on to concentrate natural sugars.
- Steaming kabocha with skin on concentrates sugar for deep natural sweetness
- Glutinous rice slurry thickens the base as it cooks; milk adds a creamy body
Key ingredients
Core cooking flow
- 1 Wash 500 g kabocha squash, scrape out the seeds, and place it in the steamer with the skin on.
- 2 Let the squash cool just until it can be handled, then remove the skin.
- 3 Pour the squash puree into a pot and set it over medium-low heat.
Hobakjuk is a Korean sweet pumpkin porridge made by steaming kabocha squash, blending it smooth with water, and simmering the puree with a glutinous rice flour slurry over medium-low heat until thick and velvety. Steaming the squash with the skin on concentrates its natural sugars, and blending with 300 ml of water creates a uniform, smooth base. The rice flour slurry gelatinizes as it heats, giving the porridge its characteristic viscosity, while a pour of milk rounds out the texture with a creamy richness. Pine nuts scattered on top add a fatty, resinous aroma over the squash, and sweetness is best adjusted at the very end to account for natural variation in pumpkin sugar content.
Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Control
Wash 500 g kabocha squash, scrape out the seeds, and place it in the steamer with the skin on.
Once the water is boiling, steam over high heat for about 15 minutes, until a chopstick slides in easily.
- 2Step
Let the squash cool just until it can be handled, then remove the skin.
Add it to a blender with 300 ml water and blend until the puree looks completely smooth, with no visible bits of squash.
- 3Control
Pour the squash puree into a pot and set it over medium-low heat.
When small bubbles appear around the edges, stir while scraping the bottom of the pot so the dense puree does not scorch.
- 4Control
Whisk 35 g glutinous rice flour into 150 ml water, then strain the slurry to remove lumps.
Pour it gradually into the simmering puree while stirring constantly, so the porridge thickens evenly.
- 5Season
Add 120 ml milk and keep the heat at medium-low.
Stir in 25 g sugar and 1 g salt, then cook for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring, until the porridge falls slowly from a spoon in a thick ribbon.
- 6Finish
Taste before turning off the heat and adjust the sweetness at the end, since squash varies naturally.
Ladle the porridge into bowls, place 10 g pine nuts in the center, and serve warm before it cools too much.
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