Korean Red Bean Porridge (Velvety Adzuki Porridge with Rice Dumplings)
Quick answer
Pat-juk is a traditional Korean red bean porridge made by boiling dried red beans until very soft, straining them to extract a smooth, deeply colored paste, and simmering...
What makes this special
- Strained adzuki paste simmers to a velvety, crimson porridge with small glutinous rice dumplings.
- Strained adzuki paste gives the porridge a deep crimson base
- Chewy glutinous rice dumplings contrast the velvety broth
Key ingredients
Core cooking flow
- 1 Rinse 300 g red beans until the water runs mostly clear, then cover them gen...
- 2 Return the beans to the pot with 1600 ml fresh water and bring to a boil.
- 3 Press half of the cooked beans with some cooking liquid through a sieve to make a smooth red bean base.
Pat-juk is a traditional Korean red bean porridge made by boiling dried red beans until very soft, straining them to extract a smooth, deeply colored paste, and simmering that paste with rice until it thickens into a velvety porridge. Small dumplings rolled from glutinous rice flour - called saeal-sim - are dropped in toward the end, giving each spoonful a chewy counterpoint to the creamy base. The porridge carries a gentle, natural sweetness from the red beans, which can be adjusted with a touch of sugar. A dusting of cinnamon on top complements the earthy bean flavor. Traditionally served on the winter solstice, pat-juk is equally satisfying as an everyday warm meal or a light late-night dish.
Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Control
Rinse 300 g red beans until the water runs mostly clear, then cover them generously with water and bring to a boil over high heat.
Boil for 10 minutes, drain, and discard this first water to reduce bitterness.
- 2Control
Return the beans to the pot with 1600 ml fresh water and bring to a boil.
Lower to medium low and simmer for about 40 minutes, until a bean crushes easily between your fingers without feeling chalky.
- 3Finish
Press half of the cooked beans with some cooking liquid through a sieve to make a smooth red bean base.
Leave the remaining beans whole so the finished porridge keeps some bean texture instead of becoming completely flat.
- 4Step
Add warm water little by little to 120 g sweet rice flour and knead until the dough feels soft and pliable.
If it sticks to your hands, dust lightly with flour, then roll small saeal-sim balls.
- 5Control
Set the red bean base over medium heat.
Mix 2 tablespoons rice flour with water, stir it in, and scrape the bottom often so it does not scorch. When the porridge thickens slightly, add the rice balls.
- 6Finish
Simmer for about 5 more minutes, until the rice balls float and feel tender through the center.
Season with 1 teaspoon salt and 2 tablespoons sugar, then ladle into bowls and finish with cinnamon powder.
After the steps
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Danpat-juk is a Korean sweet red bean porridge prepared by cooking dried red beans until fully tender, then straining two-thirds through a fine sieve for a smooth paste while keeping the remaining third whole to provide textural contrast throughout the bowl. The water from the initial boil is discarded to eliminate the raw astringency that fresh red beans carry before the flavor fully develops. Sugar, salt, and a small measure of cinnamon season the finished porridge, with the cinnamon adding a warm spiced note without overpowering the bean itself. Small glutinous rice dumplings called saealsim, hand-shaped from glutinous rice flour mixed with boiling water, are dropped into the simmering liquid and float to the surface once cooked through, introducing a chewy counterpoint to the smooth broth. Because the porridge thickens noticeably as it cools, pulling it from the heat while still slightly thinner than the intended final consistency ensures the bowl reaches the table at the right texture.
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