Hobak-juk, Squash Porridge

📝 Ingredients

• 600 g butternut squash flesh (about ½ medium squash)
• 40 g arborio rice
• 600 ml water (500 for cooking, 100 for adjusting)
• ½ tin of red kidney beans (125 g drained)
• 30 g honey (about 1 ½ tbsp)
• 20 g pumpkin seeds
• 1 pinch of salt

🍴 Utensils

• Saucepan with lid
• Peeler
• Stick blender
• Frying pan
• Fine sieve
• Wooden spoon

📖 Steps

1. Rinse the rice in a fine sieve under cold water until the water runs almost clear, then leave it to soak in a bowl of cold water while you prepare the squash: it will cook faster and blend more smoothly.
2. Peel the butternut squash with a vegetable peeler, halve it lengthways and scoop out the seeds and stringy bits with a spoon. Cut 600 g of the flesh into roughly 2 cm cubes: even pieces cook at the same rate and give a lump-free cream.
3. Put the squash, drained rice and 500 ml water in a saucepan. Bring to the boil over a high heat, then cover and simmer for 20 minutes over a low heat, until the squash mashes easily with a fork and the rice is very tender.
4. Meanwhile, dry-toast the pumpkin seeds in a frying pan over a medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring often, until they puff up and start to pop. Tip them straight onto a plate so they don't burn in the hot pan.
5. Drain the kidney beans in the sieve and rinse them under cold water to remove the salty, slightly cloudy liquid from the tin. Shake well to get rid of the water and set aside.
6. Take the pan off the heat and blend the squash and rice with their cooking water using a stick blender until perfectly smooth. Always keep the blender head submerged to avoid scalding splashes.
7. Return to a low heat, add the honey, salt and kidney beans, then leave to thicken for 5 minutes, scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon, as the rice sticks quickly. If the porridge is too thick, loosen it gradually with the remaining 100 ml water.
8. Taste and adjust: the porridge should be gently sweet, barely salty, with the coating texture of a velvety soup. Pour into two warm bowls and sprinkle with the toasted pumpkin seeds at the last moment so they stay nice and crunchy.