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You are here: Home > Archives > Recipes > Korean Recipes > Soups and Stews > Korean Pumpkin Porridge, just right for Goldilocks

Korean Pumpkin Porridge, just right for Goldilocks

November 1, 2010 by Holly Ford 31 Comments

Korean Pumpkin Porridge

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We all know the story, “Goldilocks and the three bears”. Too big, too small…, too hot, too cold…,  after all the ordeal Goldilocks finally finds her perfect “just right” things in the bear family house, and gets comfy. The story sometimes makes me compare Goldilocks as my own image in life. Yes, there is some lesson we learn from the story, though. Respecting other people’s possessions or importance of having a good manner…

I realize that I often find myself becoming like Goldilocks, looking for my “just right” everything around the house. Dress, shoes, mattress, food, house, marriage, kids, friends, camera, lenses, pots and pans…, and even spatulas. I am not a picky person but I do have my “just right” taste on everything, not too much of this or not too little of that…

I learned that finding the ultimate “just right”of everything in life really depends on how you handle it. Life is not perfect and it is not supposed to be. To gain the “just right” on everything we seek for, we just have to get it to work.

Today’s recipe, “Korean pumpkin porridge, 호박죽(Hobaak Jook)”, is your Goldilocks challenge. Not too sweet and not too bland. But the good side is; this is perhaps the simplest Korean porridge you will find. All you need is a slice of aged pumpkin, rice, some sugars, and salt to taste.
The hardest part? Finding your “just right” sweetness…
It really depends on your personal taste.

What kind of pumpkin to use? Well, any kind that has deep bright orange color in the flesh. Pumpkins are in season now. So grab one that you like and let’s make some good old porridge, in Korean style!

You will need;
 

Look at this gorgeous pumpkin slice.

 
 
I use sweet rice, which is glutenous short grain rice.
We call it “찹쌀(Chapssal)”

You can use regular short grain instead if you can’t find the sweet kind.

 
Rinse the rice several times, and soak them in the water for at least 1 hour.

Not too long and not too short…

 Scrape off all the fibers and the seeds out of the pumpkin with a spoon.

Cut into chunks and slice them

 Boil the pumpkin slices in the water until they get very tender and soft.
If you are lucky to have a hand blender,

that will be the “just right” tool for pureeing these pumpkin in the pot.

 
 If you are the unfortunate one like myself,
either mash with fork or use regular blender to puree them.

Keep the pumpkin broth in the pot.

 
Drain the rice and put them in a food processor or blender with a little bit of water.
Blender will create smoother texture.

Puree until foamy and the rice gets granulated.

 

Mix pumpkin puree and the broth over medium heat, add the pureed rice.

 
 Stirring often with whisk so that the rice granules won’t stick to the bottom of pan.
Continue to cook for 5 minutes in gentle boil over medium heat.

Add more water if your porridge seems too thick.

 Add sugars, both white and light brown.
You can use all brown sugar if you prefer…
(Brown sugar gives nice flavor but can darken the color of the soup)
Find your “just right” sweetness according to your taste.
You can add more sugars but I wouldn’t make it too sweet.
Remember! not too sweet, not too bland…

 

 
Cook for 5 more minutes until the rice granules feels “just right” soft with a little body.
Season with some salt.
Do not overcook the porridge.
 

 It can develop weird smell.

 
That’s all!
Serve with some chopped walnuts or pine nuts on top as garnish.
This porridge reheats beautifully in the microwave.

So make a batch and keep them in the fridge.

Perfect for mid-night snack or quick breakfast.
Or simply when you need “just right” comfort…
 
 
 I had my bowl of pumpkin porridge.
It was not too hot, or not too cold,

not too sweet, not too bland, …just right for me.

Now,
I need to find my “just right” bed to take a nap…

z z z z…

 
 

 

Korean Pumpkin Porridge (hobak-jook)

Holly Ford
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 1 hr
Cook Time 20 mins
Total Time 1 hr 20 mins

Ingredients
  

  • 1 1/2 -2 lb pumpkin seeded and peeled
  • 3/4 C sweet rice or short grain rice
  • 4-5 C water
  • 3-4 Tbsp white sugar
  • 3-4 Tbsp light brown sugar
  • salt to taste
  • chopped walnuts or pine nuts for garnish optional

Instructions
 

  • Rinse the rice a few times and soak in a big bowl for at least 1 hour (overnight is even better).
  • Slice the pumpkin and put them in a big pot with 4 cup of water. Boil and cook until the pumpkin gets very soft and tender. Puree them with hand blender or in a food processor (Do not discard the broth).
  • When the rice is fully soaked and hydrated, drain them. Put rice in a blender or food processor with a little bit of water and puree them until they get finely granulated.
  • Combine the rice puree, pumpkin puree with its broth in a big pot over medium heat, Keep stirring so the rice won't stick to the bottom of the pot, cook for about 5 minutes. Add more broth(water) if the porridge feels too thick. Add sugars and salt to taste, cook for 5-7 more minutes stirring often until the rice granules feels soft.
  • Taste the porridge and adjust sweetness according to your taste. Do not overcook the porridge.
  • Garnish with some chopped nuts and serve warm.

 

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Filed Under: Archives, Korean Recipes, Recipes, Soups and Stews, Vegetarian Tagged With: Pumpkin

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Comments

  1. Shirley @ Kokken69 says

    November 2, 2010 at 6:47 am

    I ate this last week in Seoul too…:) Thank you for dropping by. You have a beautiful blog, I will be back for more..

    My other favourite korean dishes are Soondubu and Jigae with rice. Simple things.. My colleague said he will take me to eat dog meat next time… 🙁

    Reply
  2. Jen (Tastes of Home) says

    November 2, 2010 at 7:39 am

    wow your pumpkin porridge looks so gorgeous!! I adore Korean food hehe I'm going to look for a dukboggi recipe on your blog now hee (is that the right spelling?)

    Reply
  3. TasteHongKong says

    November 2, 2010 at 8:18 am

    A warming and nice porridge, isn't it! I also love making dessert with sticky rice. Habitually, I always add pumpkins or sweet potatoes into the porridge … in chunks : ).

    Reply
  4. Medifast Coupon Codes says

    November 2, 2010 at 9:53 am

    Very nice porridge recipe, have never made or had before, how nice. Perfect for this time of year when there is such a bounty of pumpkins.

    Reply
  5. Anonymous says

    November 2, 2010 at 3:04 pm

    wow, i love your blog! i'm a korean who lives in italy. thats why i cook so strange?!( for example, i did this porridge tonight with some normal '백미').
    so nice to find this blog. be back again..

    Reply
  6. pigpigscorner says

    November 2, 2010 at 3:34 pm

    This is new. Is this like a rice pudding then?

    Reply
  7. beyondkimchee says

    November 2, 2010 at 6:28 pm

    @Anonymous
    Thanks for visiting. I am sure Italy is a wonderful place to live. Would love to travel there someday.

    Reply
  8. beyondkimchee says

    November 2, 2010 at 6:30 pm

    @pigpigscorner
    Well, I would say it is more likely pumpkin pudding than rice pudding. Although it has thinner consistency than general pudding.

    Reply
  9. leaf (the indolent cook) says

    November 3, 2010 at 6:19 am

    This is interesting! I love your writing style too, it's just so cute. ^-^

    Reply
  10. Glory Lily says

    November 6, 2010 at 8:22 pm

    Wow, this is creative. I've been trying a lot of pumpkin recipes too, but not as cool as this.

    Reply
  11. Roxan says

    November 8, 2010 at 7:38 am

    Um, this looks absolutely amazing! I am totally starring this one for future use. I've been trying to get in touch w my roots and cook more korean food lately, but I'd really love to incorporate some produce that's in season. this is perfect. thank you!

    Reply
  12. min says

    November 25, 2011 at 9:14 pm

    This is exactly how my mum makes it and it's the best! grinding the rice is essential! 🙂 

    Reply
  13. Mrs. Mackerelsnapper, OP says

    September 21, 2012 at 7:54 am

    We just played a little bit with this recipe last nigt, and I’m blogging about it today! Thanks for sharing. It was delicious!

    Reply
  14. Katherine Crandall says

    November 9, 2012 at 12:53 pm

    Do you think I can freeze this after I make it? My pumpkin is about to go bad, so I need to use it right away. But my sister (she loves this stuff and told me to make it) will be at college for 2 more weeks. If I made it and put it in the freezer, would it hold 2 weeks?

    Reply
    • Holly says

      November 9, 2012 at 4:18 pm

      Hi Katherine

      Yes, you can freeze this porridge and reheat later to serve.

      Reply
  15. Irene says

    January 14, 2013 at 6:13 am

    Hello, I just found your website. I have a kabocha pumpkin that I was wondering what else I could do with it. I believe I have all the ingredients in my pantry. 🙂 now I just need to get brave enough to make kimchi.

    Reply
    • Holly says

      January 14, 2013 at 7:40 am

      Hi Irene
      For your Kabocha pumpkin, you can try this porridge recipes or dice them in to big bite size chunks then add to the rice to cook together in a rice cooker. Or cook pumpkin and mash, then add to the hotteok batter to make pumpkin flavored hottek, which is very good too. Or simply grate the pumpkin, add some flour, a few pinch salt, and water, mix it up then fry in the oil to make pumpkin pancakes. Kimchi is fun to make and very rewarding. Hope you get to try. 🙂

      Reply
  16. Erin says

    June 22, 2013 at 1:51 am

    I made hobakjuk about 12 days ago and have some left in the refrigerator. I took some out now and tastes still fine. But how long is it good for in the refrigerator, until it’s bad so you shouldn’t consume it?

    Reply
    • Holly says

      June 24, 2013 at 11:40 am

      If it still tastes good, it should be alright. I wouldn’t go more than 2 weeks though.

      Reply
  17. Eva says

    September 19, 2013 at 9:56 am

    is it okay if i switch the glutinous rice with regular rice?

    Reply
    • Holly says

      September 20, 2013 at 1:02 pm

      You can. Will change the texture a little bit.

      Reply
      • Eva says

        September 20, 2013 at 10:24 pm

        okay thankyou 😀

        Reply
  18. Leigh says

    October 3, 2013 at 2:50 am

    Thank you for the recipe. I’ve been dearly missing hobbakjuk since moving back to Canada and your recipe hit the spot. It did taste a little more ricey than I remember. Maybe not enough pumpkin? Or the pumpkin needed to be more ripe? What do you think?

    Reply
  19. Leigh says

    October 4, 2013 at 11:52 am

    Actually, disregard my last comment. I had some hobakjuk the next day and it was perfect! Thank you so much for the recipe!

    Reply
  20. Chad says

    December 20, 2013 at 9:18 am

    I love pumpkin. Can’t wait to try this recipe out. 🙂

    Reply
  21. Katharine of Kat's Almost Purrfect World says

    September 7, 2015 at 1:53 am

    I’ve been watching Korean Dramas on Netflix and wondered about this dish. We were in Korea Town of Los Angeles and found a place that had it part of their Korean BBQ Buffet. Yummy! Thanks for sharing the recipe.

    Reply
  22. Chad says

    December 3, 2015 at 7:18 am

    I make this sometimes for breakfast during the fall and winter. It tastes similar to American southern sweet potato casserole. Just thinner consistency and more pumpkiny and not as many nuts on top. It’s a very good dish.

    Reply

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Welcome to Beyond Kimchee!

Welcome to Beyond Kimchee

Hi and welcome!

I am Holly, a native Korean mother and a wife whose favorite place in the house is the KITCHEN. I hope you find lip-smackingly delicious Korean recipes and beyond in my site.

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