Hobakjuk íëì½ Korean Pumpkin Or Winter Squash Porridge Food

HOBAKJUK (호박죽) KOREAN PUMPKIN OR WINTER SQUASH PORRIDGE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Cut pumpkin in half and remove all seeds and stringy bits. Cover in foil and bake for 45mins.
• While pumpkin bakes, combine ingredients for rice balls. Knead dough for several minutes until it achieves a "playdough" like consistency.
• Form dough into small, uniform balls, about the size of a marble. Store balls with a moderate dusting of sweet rice flour to prevent sticking until ready to use.
• In a pan, combine water and brown sugar for sweet beans. Heat on medium high and stir until sugar dissolves.
• Add the drained and rinsed beans, then raise temperature to high and cook for 7 mins, stirring occasionally to prevent burning.
• Once the syrup has condensed and become thick, remove the beans from the heat.
• Once the pumpkin has cooked to fork tender, remove from the oven and let it cool before scooping out the inside and discarding the shell.
• Add pumpkin and 3 cups of water to a blender, blending on high until smooth.
• Place the pumpkin/water mix into a pot and heat on medium high until hot.
• In a bowl, thoroughly mix 1/4 cup water with 3tbs of sweet rice flour to form a slurry. Add slurry to hot pumpkin mixture and stir immediately to prevent lumps.
• Add the granulated sugar and salt.
• Bring porridge to a boil, then add rice balls.
• Increase temperature to high and boil for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent rice balls from sticking. The porridge is done when the rice balls are soft and chewy.
• To serve, pour porridge over black beans in individual bowls. Garnish with a few beans. Serve with sugar.