Patjuk
“A thick, earthy Korean porridge of slow-cooked red beans mashed and simmered with rice, traditionally studded with chewy saeal-sim glutinous rice balls. Eaten lightly salted as a savory meal or sweetened as a comforting bowl on the winter solstice.”
Where it comes from
An ancient juk tied to the dongji winter solstice, when eating it was believed to ward off bad luck and disease; documented throughout Korea.
On the plate
Velvety and warming, the porridge tastes deeply of nutty, slightly sweet red beans with a faintly chalky richness. The little rice balls bounce and stretch against the smooth base, and a pinch of salt or sugar pulls the whole bowl into comfort.
How it works
Discarding the first boil removes bitter saponins from the bean skins, and straining the puree yields a smooth body. Long simmering bursts the bean and rice starches so they thicken the porridge naturally without flour.
Variations
Dan-patjuk (sweet dessert version), patjuk with added pumpkin, versions with chestnuts, savory salted patjuk without rice balls.
On the Palate
Ingredients
Serves 4How it's made
8 steps · Show ↓40 min active · 60 min waiting
How it's made
8 steps · Show ↓- 110 min
Rinse red beans, cover with water and boil briefly, then discard the first water.
- 260 min
Add fresh water and simmer the beans until completely soft, about an hour.
- 312 min
Roll glutinous rice flour with a little water into small saeal-sim balls.
- 48 min
Mash or blend the cooked beans, then strain to remove the tougher skins.
- 53 min
Return the bean puree to the pot with soaked rice and more water.
- 630 min
Simmer, stirring often, until the rice is tender and the porridge thickens.
- 76 min
Drop in the rice balls and cook until they float to the surface.
- 82 min
Season with salt for savory or sugar for sweet, and serve hot.
