Red bean porridge is a popular dish in Korea, China, and Japan, made with azuki beans and served hot or cold as a main course or dessert. It is used in rituals to ward off evil spirits and bring good luck, and can be made with meat or sweetened with sugar and served with mochi or other ingredients.
Red bean porridge is a popular dish served in Korea, China and Japan, although it is also available in many other places. Hot versions of the porridge are enjoyed in cold weather and cold interpretations are refreshing in warmer weather. It can be prepared as a savory main course or as a sweet dessert. Generally served as a simple dinner, red bean porridge is made with just a few ingredients. The main ingredient is azuki beans.
The savory version of the red bean porridge main dish is made with water, azuki beans, and rice. Adzuki beans are small red beans — about 0.2 inches (5 mm) long — that are grown mainly in East Asia and the Himalayas. The beans are boiled in water, strained, mashed and then added back into the water. Rice is added to turn the soup into a thick porridge. While this dish is usually made with just a few ingredients and used to preserve food, some meat might be added to make the meal more nutritious and filling.
In Korea, some people practice the ancient tradition of using red bean porridge, called patjuk, to ward off evil spirits and bad luck. The red bean represents the color of Yang, which is the strong sun. Red bean porridge is also used in a ritual that a family performs to wish for a bountiful harvest. Rice balls are made and the amount placed in each person’s soup represents their age. Some Korean regions will prepare it for a special New Year’s Day celebration.
Cooks in Korea often make red bean porridge on the winter solstice, which is the shortest day of the year. Bowls of porridge are then placed around the house, including the home shrine. When the red bean porridge gets cold, the family sits down together and eats the dish. This tradition of relaxing and enjoying the nutritious meal is a preparation for the hard work on the farm in the spring. It is also a ritual perceived to bring good luck and a bountiful harvest.
Sugar can make red bean porridge into a dessert which is highly regarded as a delicious treat in Chinese and Japanese culture. A glutinous rice cake, called mochi, slowly melts after being placed in the middle of the hot porridge. Variants of the dessert include glutinous rice flour dumplings or chestnuts. Sweetened condensed milk is sometimes used as a condiment and to add flavor to porridge. This dessert dish is often served with something that consists of a tart or salty flavor, to contrast the very sweet porridge.
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