Nothing spells fall and winter like a good pumpkin/squash soup. Hobak (pumpkin or squash) juk (porridge) is a special class of Korean comfort food that is sure to please when the days get chillier. While the traditional soup is made from a Korean pumpkins (danhobak, or Japanese kabocha squash), butternut squash, honeynut squash, or other orange-fleshed squash will work just as well. Here, my recipe uses a whopping 5 lbs butternut squash, but the recipe can be scaled down from this 6-serving portion..
In the traditional recipe, the squash is boiled, and then the flesh scooped out. I’m more of a fan of roasting the squash, to give it a more caramelized flavor. The squash can be peeled, halved, seeds scooped out, and then cubed (or bought cubed) and roasted (25 minutes at 400 Fahrenheit) or just cut in half, seeds scooped out, and roasted flesh side down (40 minutes at 400 Fahrenheit), then the flesh spooned out. The squash can be hand-mashed, but I prefer to cook it down a bit in broth (chicken or vegetable), then use an immersion blender, for that perfect, creamy texture. The amount of sugar (coconut or brown) to add depends on the amount of squash going in, and desired preference.
The dish can be made with or without the glutinous rice (which is gluten-free, check the Waygook Kitchen) rice balls. They’re remarkably easy to make, and boil in about 3 minutes. And I prefer a lot of rice balls. Still, some glutinous rice flour slurry thickens the porridge up. Also, to give the dish more protein, I add a substantial portion of red beans (pat in Korean, or adzuki in Japanese check the Waygook Kitchen). I started with 1 c dry pat, soaked overnight, then boiled the pat for 7 minutes and rinsed to give about 2 c. Otherwise, I’d add 2 c of canned beans (about 1 can), rinsed thoroughly to remove the starch..
Topping the dish with pumpkin seeds (untoasted and unsalted) adds a bit more protein, and good crunch. Other nuts like pecans or walnuts would work. For garnishes, jujubes with the pits removed are traditional, and are actually pretty tasty. Also, persimmons are seasonal. and add a bit of sweetness. Other citrus would lend itself well.
As with all dishes, experiment and have fun!
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Skin, halve, scoop out the seeds, cube, and roast for 25 minutes OR halve, scoop out the seeds, and roast for 40 minutes, until pierceable by a fork, and scoop out the flesh.
- Add the squash cubes or flesh to a heavy-bottom pot, and add 3-4 c of broth to cover. Simmer.
- Use an immersion blender to make the soup creamy. Add broth as needed.
- Add coconut/brown sugar to taste.
- Mix 1/4 c rice flour into hot water, and blend in to make the soup creamier.
- If using dried pat, rehydrate overnight, and rinse well. Bring to a boil for about 7 minutes, then strain and rinse well. Otherwise, if using canned pat, strain and rinse well.
- Fold the pat into the soup, adjusting sugar to taste.
- Meanwhile, make the rice balls. Use 1-1/2 c rice flour and a rounded 1/4 tsp salt, and add hot water to form a firm dough.
- Roll the dough into long lines of 1 inch thickness on a flour-dusted surface. Cut every 1 inch, and roll each piece into a ball.
- Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil, and add each rice ball, stirring. When the rice balls rise to the surface, they're done.
- Fold the rice balls into the soup.
- Top each soup with 1 tbsp pumpkin seeds.
- If using jujubes, score them in half length-wise, and remove the pit.
- Add persimmons or other garnishes as desired.
