Vegan Bunny Elle

Capture the golden glory and comfort of fall in a bowl with this velvety smooth, creamy, and therapeutical traditional Korean pumpkin soup. Plus we’ll put those pumpkin seeds to good use!

Hobakjuk is a traditional Korean sweet porridge that dates back centuries. It’s well beloved for its gorgeous golden hue, velvety texture, and naturally sweet flavor. And more than just a comforting dish, Hobackjuk is also used as a medicinal Healing food in Korea. 

It is known to be gentle on the stomach and easy to digest, making it ideal for the elderly, children, or patients recovering from an illness. Many Korean mothers traditionally make hobakjuk for their daughters after childbirth for postpartum care. On a nutritional level, pumpkins are rich in beta-carotene, vitamins, and potassium, which can boost our immue system and promote blood flow.

I love having this porridge with rice cakes or mochi balls, those chewy bites go so well with the creamy soup! And to add even more texture variety to this meal, save those pumpkin seeds and we can make them into crispy maple cinnamon seed snacks!

Hobakjuk Korean Pumpkin Porridge with Crispy Maple Cinnamon Pumpkin Seeds

This traditional Korean pumpkin porridge is creamy, velvety, naturally sweet and is made of the simplest ingredients!

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Ingredients Method Video

Ingredients

  

• 2 lb fresh pumpkin
• 3 cup water
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar or more to taste

Rice flour slurry

• 1/2 cup glutinous rice flour
• 1/2 cup water

Maple cinnamon pumpkin seeds

• 1 cup fresh pumpkin seeds rinsed and dried
• 1/4 cup avocado oil
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 2 teaspoon brown sugar

Method

 

1. Cut open your pumpkin, take out the “gut”, rinse and save the seeds;
2. Measure 2 pounds of fresh pumpkin fresh (you can keep the skin on if you wash the pumpkin first), transfer to a large pot with the 3 cups of water, cover with the lid and bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes, until the pumpkin is fork tender;
3. Scoop out the flesh and discard the skin, transfer the cooked pumpkin to a blender, as well as the pumpkin stock left in the pot which you cooked the pumpkin in, blend until completely smooth;
4. Add blended pumpkin back to the pot and continue to cook over medium-low heat, make the rice flour slurry by whisking the ingredients together, slowly add into the pot while stirring to mix in evenly;
5. Bring the porridge to a simmer and let it continue to thicken for 10-15 minutes, stir frequently to prevent settling and burning at the bottom, once it’s reached your preferred consistency, season with salt and sugar to taste, turn off the heat and set aside;
6. To make the roasted pumpkin seeds, preheat the oven to 350°F, toss all the ingredients together and roast for 15 minutes, monitor them so they don’t burn, add more time if they’re not crispy enough;
7. Serve the juk warm with your preferred side, enjoy!

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