← Nouns Cooking · Korean

Ingredients

• 300 g Dried adzuki (red) beans, rinsed
• 2 l Water, plus more for the first boil
• 5 tbsp sugar (or half honey)
• ½ tsp Cinnamon
• 1 tsp Salt
• 2 tbsp glutinous rice flour, mixed with 120 ml water
• 70 g Glutinous rice flour
• 1 tsp Sugar
• 1 pinch Salt
• 4 tbsp boiling water
• 1 tbsp Pine nuts (optional)

Method

1. Cover the beans with water, bring to the boil for 5 min, then drain and rinse; this removes bitterness.
2. Return the beans to the pot with the 2 l water, bring to the boil and simmer partly covered for 60 min, until they crush easily between your fingers. Top up with water if needed.
3. Meanwhile, mix the rice ball flour, sugar and salt with the boiling water and knead into a smooth dough. Roll into small marbles and cook in boiling water for 2–3 min, until they float; move them to cold water.
4. Blend the beans with their cooking liquid until smooth (or press through a sieve for a very fine porridge) and return to the pot.
5. Stir in the rice flour slurry and simmer for 5 min, stirring, until thickened. Sweeten with sugar, cinnamon and salt, add the rice balls to warm through and serve topped with pine nuts.

Tips

• Eaten on dongji, the winter solstice, when the red colour is said to chase away bad luck.
• If you use honey instead of some of the sugar, it is no longer vegan.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Korean Bapsang Beyond Kimchee