Hobak Juk 호박죽
1 small sweet pumpkin, seeded and peeled (butternut and banana squash are also great!)
3/4 C soaked or sprouted brown rice
Sweetener to taste (Date Paste, stevia, honey, coconut sugar, maple syrup, agave)
salt to taste
Directions:
Step 1: Soak the rice overnight in warm water with an acid medium (ACV, kefir, lemon) or sprout for a couple of days (Sprouting Instructions here). Boil the rice for 40 minutes.
Step 2: Cook the pumpkin in a large pot with 1 cup of water for about 15 minutes until tender.
Step 3: Puree the rice in a food processor or blender and slowly add some of the water that the pumpkin cooked in to help with the blending.
Step 4: Once the rice is pureed, add the pumpkin and rest of the pumpkin water and continue to puree until smooth.
Step 5: Add a dash of salt and little bit of honey or other sweetener to your liking.
Optional Garnish:
Traditionally, hobakjuk is garnished with sweet red beans and pine nuts. I did not have either, so I used chopped macadamia nuts and sweet black beans that I simmered with honey and umeboshi plum paste..haha...I know this is very different, but the sweet and tangy combination was incredible!