Sweet Pumpkin Porridge (Hobakjuk)
Steamed sweet pumpkin is puréed silky-smooth, simmered with chewy little rice balls, and thickened with glutinous rice flour into a warm, naturally sweet morning porridge. A gentle, comforting bowl that needs no added fat and barely any sugar.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Steam the pumpkin
Bring water to a boil in a steamer and arrange the pumpkin chunks on the rack. Cover and steam for about 20 minutes, until a fork sinks into the flesh with no resistance.
- 1 kg kabocha squash
✅ Done when: the pumpkin is completely soft and falls apart when pressed
Purée the pumpkin
While still warm, mash the steamed pumpkin with a potato masher or blend it with 200 ml of the water until completely smooth, with no stringy bits left.
- 1 kg steamed pumpkin (from step 1)
- 200 ml water
✅ Done when: the purée looks silky and pourable, like a thick smoothie
Shape the rice balls
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Simmer the pumpkin base
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Thicken with rice flour
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Add rice balls and sweeten
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Serve
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Steam the pumpkin
Bring water to a boil in a steamer and arrange the pumpkin chunks on the rack. Cover and steam for about 20 minutes, until a fork sinks into the flesh with no resistance.
- 1 kg kabocha squash
✅ Done when: the pumpkin is completely soft and falls apart when pressed
Purée the pumpkin
While still warm, mash the steamed pumpkin with a potato masher or blend it with 200 ml of the water until completely smooth, with no stringy bits left.
- 1 kg steamed pumpkin (from step 1)
- 200 ml water
✅ Done when: the purée looks silky and pourable, like a thick smoothie
Shape the rice balls
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Simmer the pumpkin base
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Thicken with rice flour
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Add rice balls and sweeten
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Serve
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The Story Behind the Dish
Pumpkin arrived on the Korean peninsula a few centuries ago and was quickly worked into porridges, since squash grows easily and keeps well through autumn and winter. Hobakjuk became a favorite way to use ripe, sweet pumpkin, especially the small, dense kabocha-type squash still called danhobak, 'sweet pumpkin,' in Korean markets today.
Because it is soft, naturally sweet and easy on the stomach, hobakjuk has long been given to new mothers recovering after childbirth, to the elderly, and to anyone needing a gentle, nourishing meal. The chewy little rice balls, saealsim, turn a simple purée into a more playful, substantial bowl.
⭐ Why It's Famous
It is one of Korea's most comforting porridges: naturally sweet, silky, needs no added fat, and feels like being cared for in a bowl.
💡 Fun Fact
Saealsim means 'bird's egg heart' — the little rice balls are named for their small, round, egg-like shape.
Korea
37.57°N, 126.98°E
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