Happy Korean Little New Year!

I know, it’s a little early to be talking about the new year, especially since Christmas hasn’t even passed! But that’s what today is according to the South Korean calendar. Winter solstice (Dongji 동지) is today this year!

It’s the shortest day/longest night of the year, as opposed to Summer solstice which is the longest day/shortest night of the year.

And it was celebrated to mark that it’s the shortest day and that every day after will become longer. This signaled Spring and renewal of life. That’s why this day used to be called “Little New Year.” And it used to be celebrated more than it is nowadays.

In ancient times, the king would throw a celebration for his subjects, offering a banquet of foods. Traditionally, people would eat red bean porridge (patjuk) or other dishes would red bean. The red color of the red beans were considered good energy for warding away evil spirits. That is why red beans were also sprinkled around the home.

Another superstition for this day, is that if it’s a warm day, then bad fortune will follow (sickness and bad harvest). But if it’s a cold day, then good fortune will follow (health and prosperity).

But nowadays, winter solstice goes largely unrecognized. If people do anything for Dongji, it’s to eat patjuk (“pat” means red beans and “juk” means porridge) or red bean rice cakes.

So here’s an easy recipe for making patjuk!

Korean Red Bean Porridge Recipe (Patjuk)

Ingredients

Red beans – about 16 oz. can (sweetened and mashed)

Sweet rice powder – 1 cup

Salt – 1/4 teaspoon

(optional) Pine nuts – 1/2 teaspoon

Directions

1. Heat red bean paste with 2 cups of water over medium-high heat.
2. While red bean porridge is heating, make rice cake balls. Mix 1 cup of sweet rice powder, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 cup of water in a bowl.
3. Knead mixture until it becomes a dough.
4. Pinch pieces of dough off and roll with palms of hands to form a ball.
5. Add dough balls to red bean porridge once the porridge reaches boiling.
6. Heat over medium-high for about 15 minutes.
7. Transfer to a bowl and garnish with pine nuts if desired.

Notes

What makes this recipe super easy is that I use canned red beans. The type I use are already mashed and sweetened. So that takes care of a lot of time I would’ve spent on soaking, boiling, and pureeing the red beans. I love time saving tricks! Don’t you?

As for forming balls from the dough, I make them really small or rather large (about one inch in diameter). So that they’re not choking hazards for my toddler. Who, by the way, absolutely loves this porridge! But you can make the dough balls whatever size you like. However, cooking time may vary.

Some people boil the dough balls in a separate pot of water (they’ll float to the top when done) before adding them to the porridge. This way they know fore sure it’s done and don’t have to fish it out of the porridge to taste test.

I use pine nuts for garnish because pine nuts are frequently used for garnish in Korean dishes. However, I’ve seen people use paprika or brown sugar crystals as well. It’s all good!

You’re going to love this porridge. And if you have kids, they will go nuts for this porridge! My kid was turned off by the color at first but after a tiny taste test, he wouldn’t stop asking for more!

Enjoy and Happy Winter Solstice! And check out the tab at the top for more easy Korean recipes!

Let me know how it goes in the comments!