In Korea you can buy this soup from market women selling it out of enormous vats on cool autumn days — and once you have had it that way nothing else compares.

November 13… Favorite Fall Harvest Recipe

Hands Down….

Korean Pumpkin Soup (Porridge) 호박준 -Hobakjoon

In Korea, you can buy this soup from the market. The women sell it out of huge vats, and it is perfect for cooler weather!

Here is the recipe,  from ChristyLee.org, with more pictures and details.

abocha squash – 1 medium (or acorn squash as we used when we lived in Korea)
Water – 2 cup, (plus 3/4 cup for sweet rice flour mix)
Sweet rice powder – 1/4 cup
Organic sugar – 3 T, optional
Salt – 1 tsp

• Clean and steam the squash (40 minutes)
• Cool, take of skin and take out seeds
• put in food processor or mixer with 2c. water, until smooth
• You can eat it just like this if you want it healthier
• or for traditional korean soup.. transfer to a pot over med. heat
• In a separate bowl, add 1/4 cup sweet rice flour and 3/4 cup of water.
  Mix well.
• Pour into pumpkin soup pot
• mix and add sugar and mix

THEN

make birds eggs (mini rice cakes)

make the tiny bird eggs, you just need:

Sweet rice flour – 1/2 cup
Warm water – 2 T
Salt, , optional
Sugar, optional

• In a large bowl, add sweet flour and warm water.
• Knead into a ball using hands.
• then roll into tiny birds eggs (1/4 of an inch or smaller)
• boil 1 min and cool in cold water
• add to soup
• also add cooked red beans

The birds eggs and red beans give the soup some texture and are a great sweet add on.

You can find out more abut the November Health and Fitness Challenge

Q: What is Korean pumpkin soup hobakjuk? A: Hobakjuk is a traditional Korean pumpkin porridge made from kabocha or acorn squash blended smooth with water and thickened with sweet rice flour. It is naturally sweet warming and deeply comforting — the kind of dish that appears at Korean markets in huge vats as soon as the weather turns cool. Little rice cake dumplings called saeal shim and cooked red beans are stirred in at the end for texture and a gentle sweetness.

Q: What type of squash is used in Korean pumpkin soup? A: Traditional hobakjuk uses kabocha squash which has a dense sweet flesh that blends beautifully into a smooth porridge. When we lived in Korea we used acorn squash which was more readily available and works equally well. Either variety produces a rich deeply flavored soup that is far more satisfying than its simple ingredient list suggests.

Q: What is sweet rice flour and where do you find it? A: Sweet rice flour also called glutinous rice flour is made from short grain sticky rice and gives Korean pumpkin soup its characteristic silky thick texture. It is available at most Asian grocery stores Korean markets and increasingly in mainstream grocery stores in the Asian foods section. It is also the base for the tiny rice cake dumplings that are stirred into the finished soup.

Q: How do you make the rice cake dumplings for hobakjuk? A: Combine half a cup of sweet rice flour with two tablespoons of warm water and knead into a smooth ball. Roll tiny pieces into oval shapes about a quarter inch long — these are the little bird egg dumplings. Boil for one minute then cool in cold water before adding to the finished soup along with cooked red beans for a traditional finish.

Q: Is Korean pumpkin soup healthy? A: Remarkably so — kabocha squash is rich in beta carotene vitamin C and fiber. The base recipe without added sugar is naturally sweet from the squash itself and completely dairy free gluten free and vegan. The sweet rice flour dumplings and red beans add complex carbohydrates and protein making it a genuinely nourishing one bowl meal that happens to taste like a treat.