Ppat-juk (Korean red bean porridge): It’s a great treat to warm the freezing winter nights, especially on Dongji, a traditional Korean holiday when people eat red bean porridge to welcome good fortune. The color red supposedly ward off evil spirits and ushers in good fortune, so it’s a long cherished tradition of Korean people to eat red-colored food on days of celebration.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup rice
2 cups red beans
15 cups of water
1/4 tsp salt
4 Tbsp sugar
Direction:
1. Wash red beans and boil them in 2 cups of water and bring to boil.
2. Once beans come to boil, pour off the water and put in the remaining 13 cups of water. Let it simmer until the beans get completely soft.
3. Strain beans and mash them through a strainer while still hot. Do not throw out the water and beans don’t have to be mashed too finely.
4. Throw out leftover bean skin in the strainer and let the mashed beans settle in water.
5. Wash rice and soak in water for about 2 hours. Let it drain.
6. In the red bean water put soaked rice and let it simmer in low heat until it thickens to the consistency of watery porridge. Rice should be cooked completely.
7. You may season it to your liking with salt and sugar.
Tips:
1. Use a wooden spoon to stir the porridge to prevent it from getting too watery.
2. You may add glutinous rice balls to red bean porridge. All you need is 1 cup of glutinous rice powder found in an Oriental grocery store, 3Tbsp warm water, and 1/2tsp salt. Mix the glutinous rice powder and salt with warm water and knead into dough. Roll the dough into little balls, about one inch in diameter. Add the rice balls into the porridge and let it simmer until done.
