Hobakjuk - Korean Pumpkin Porridge (Instant Pot and Regular Recipe)
Hobakjuk or Korean Pumpkin Porridge is the perfect food for a cold winter day or any day. It is also a yummy healing food, light on the stomach and very nutritious!
- Prep time
- 5 min
- Cook time
- 15 min
- Yield
- 16 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 1 kabocha squash ((1 kg or 2.2 lbs))
- 6 cups water
- 7 cups water
- 1/2 cup sweet rice flour ((mochi flour))
- 3 Tbsp hot boiling water
- 6 Tbsp sweet rice flour ((mochi flour))
- 8 Tbsp water
- 3 Tbsp sugar ((optional or use less for soup))
- 0.75 tsp Sea Salt (Trader Joe's)
Instructions
- 1
If you have a whole Kabocha Squash, rinse and microwave on high for 5 – 6 minutes. It is much easier to cut and peel when cooked slightly. Cut Kabocha Squash into big chunks after peeling them.
- 2
For INSTANT POT
- 3
Add Kabocha Squash pieces to Instant Pot and add water. (2 cups per 1 Kabocha Squash) Cook it at Manual High for 5 minutes. Natural release if you have extra time otherwise you can do manual release which should take about 10 minutes or so.
- 4
For Regular Cooking Method
- 5
Boil cut kabocha in a pot (bring to boil then reduce to medium heat) with water. (3 cups water per 1 Kabocha Squash) Cook for 25-30 minutes until fork goes in really easily and breaks apart.
- 6
Make Sweet Rice Balls (SaeAlShim) - OPTIONAL
- 7
While the squash/pumpkin is cooking, make mini sweet rice balls (chapssal sae-al-shim 새알심) to add to porridge. Start boiling a pot of water to cook the rice balls in. Make dough by mixing 1/2 cup sweet rice flour and 3 Tbs HOT water.
- 8
First mix with a spoon because it’s so hot! After it’s cooled a bit, gather with your hands and make it into a dough ball.
- 9
Tear off a little of the dough and make cute mini sweet rice balls. I made each of mine about 1.5 cm (1/2 in) in diameter.
- 10
Cook mini rice balls in boiling water. Cook for about 2 minutes and rice balls should float to the top when cooked.
- 11
Take rice balls out of the boiling water and drain, let them cool. Keep them covered so they don’t dry out.
- 12
BOTH for INSTANT POT and REGULAR COOKING METHOD
- 13
Once the squash or pumpkin pieces are fully cooked, get a blender or chopper to blend it as smoothly as you’d like. Divided pumpkins into 2 or more batches depending on the size of your blender.
- 14
For each 1 cooked Kabocha Squash, blend the squash + remaining liquid from pot + 4 cups water.
- 15
You can either put the blended pumpkin mix back into your Instant Pot or into a large pot. Season with sugar and sea salt to taste. Mix.
- 16
For INSTANT POT
- 17
Turn on Sauté button and choose LESS or whatever button combination that will simmer.
- 18
For REGULAR COOKING
- 19
Turn heat on low to simmer.
- 20
Make Sweet Flour Slurry
- 21
Make a sweet flour slurry of (6 Tbs sweet rice flour + 8 Tbs water per 1 Kabocha) to thicken up the Pumpkin soup to turn into Pumpkin Porridge. Using a whisk, mix quickly as you pour the slurry in. Simmer for another 5 min. SERVE warm.