Patjuk

Patjuk (Korean: 팥죽 [pʰat̚.t͈ɕuk̚]), azukigayu (Japanese: 小豆粥), hóngdòu zhōu (simplified Chinese: 红豆粥; traditional Chinese: 紅豆粥) or red bean porridge is a type of congee consisting of red beans and rice eaten across East Asia. In Korea, patjuk(팥죽) is commonly eaten during the winter season, and is associated to dongji (winter solstice),[2][3][4] as people used to believe that the red color of patjuk drives off baneful spirits.

Patjuk

A bowl of patjuk (red bean porridge) with saealsim (rice cake balls)
Alternative names	Azukigayu hóngdòu zhōu red bean porridge
Type	Congee
Region or state	East Asia
Associated national cuisine	Chinese cuisine Japanese cuisine Korean cuisine
Main ingredients	Red beans, rice
Food energy (per 1 serving)	58 kcal (243 kJ)[1]
Similar dishes	Hóngdòu tāng, shiruko
Other information	Food related to dongji (winter solstice)
Cookbook: Patjuk

Regional names
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	紅豆粥
Simplified Chinese	红豆粥
Literal meaning	red bean congee
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin hóngdòu zhōu Wade–Giles hung^2-tou^4-chou^1 Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization hùhng dauh jūk Jyutping hung^4 dau^6 zuk^1
Korean name
Hangul	팥죽
Hanja	-粥
Literal meaning	Vigna angularis congee
Transcriptions Revised Romanization patjuk McCune–Reischauer p'atchuk
Japanese name
Kanji	小豆粥
Kana	あずきがゆ
Transcriptions Revised Hepburn azukigayu

Preparation

Dried red beans are boiled with eight to ten parts water until fully cooked and soft, then mashed and passed through a sieve. The bean skins are discarded, and the remaining beans sit for some time in order for them to separate into layers. The upper layer consisting of clear water is used to boil rice, while the lower layer consisting of settled red bean mash is kept. When the rice is cooked, the mashed beans are added back into the porridge along with saeal-sim (새알심; literally "bird's egg", named as such due to its resemblance to small bird's eggs, possibly quail eggs), which are the small rice cake balls made of glutinous rice flour.[5] The number of saealsim added is often the same number as the eater's age. Salt is then added to taste.

• 
  Saeal-sim (bird's eggs) made with rice flour and hot water

Varieties

• Patjuk is often eaten as a meal rather than as a dessert, and by default is not sweetened.[6] Saealsim (새알심; "bird's egg"), small rice cake balls made of glutinous rice flour is often added to the dish.[7]
• Dan-patjuk (단팥죽; "sweet red bean porridge") is a sweetened dessert porridge made of boiled and mashed red beans.[8] Glutinous rice powder instead of rice grains is added to the porridge, and the porridge is sweetened with honey or sugar. Saealsim is often added to dan-patjuk.
• Pat-kal-guksu (팥칼국수; "red bean noodles") is a type of kal-guksu (noodle soup with knife-cut wheat noodles). In the dish, noodles replace the usual rice and saealsim.[5]

Folklore and traditions

Patjuk is commonly eaten during the winter season, and is associated with dongji (winter solstice),[3] the day with the shortest period of daylight and the longest night of the year.

Cooking and eating patjuk was also a ritual to prevent bad luck, epidemic disease, and influences from malevolent spirits.[9][10] People believed that the red color of patjuk drives off baneful spirits,[3] as red was a symbolic color of positive energy which can keep negative energy at bay. The beliefs perhaps originated from an old Chinese tale recordeds in Jingchu Suishiji, a 6th-century book on seasonal customs of Jingchu.[11] According to the story, a man named Gong Gong had a bad son who died on the day of winter solstice and became a disease-spreading evil spirit who was afraid of red bean porridge. People began to make red bean porridge on winter solstice to ward off the spirit, and forestall epidemic diseases. Before eating patjuk, Koreans used to offer it to various household deities such as kitchen god.[12] Patjuk used to be smeared on walls or doors, or placed in a bowl in each room of the house.[12]

The custom of eating patjuk in winter is also related to Korea's long history as an agrarian society. Having a rich harvest has always been a pivotal issue for people, and eating patjuk became a ritual to wish for abundant harvests.[10] By fully relaxing and eating nourishing food in winter, people wanted to be prepared to start farming in the spring. As winter was often the time of rice shortage, the staple in Korean cuisine, patjuk made of red beans, water, and relatively smaller amount of rice was an economical food. The dish also requires no extra side dishes to constitute a complete meal. Patjuk embodies a custom of conserving food.[13]

Although the beliefs on red color and malevolent spirits as well as the agrarian traditions have faded in modern, industrialized society, patjuk is still enjoyed as a seasonal dish in Korea.

Gallery

• 
  Patjuk sold by a street vendor in Busan, South Korea
• 
  Patjuk garnished with various nuts
• 
  Pat-kal-guksu, a noodle soup

See also

• Patbap – red bean rice
• Red bean soup

References

1. "patjuk" 팥죽. Korean Food Foundation (in Korean). Retrieved 16 May 2017.
2. National Institute of Korean Language (30 July 2014). "주요 한식명(200개) 로마자 표기 및 번역(영, 중, 일) 표준안" (PDF) (in Korean). Retrieved 25 February 2017. Lay summary – National Institute of Korean Language.
3. Brown, Ju; Brown, John (2006). China, Japan, Korea: Culture and Customs. North Charleston, SC: BookSurge. p. 79. ISBN 1-4196-4893-4.
4. Brown, Ju; Brown, John (2006). China, Japan, Korea: Culture and Customs. North Charleston, SC: BookSurge. p. 79. ISBN 9781419648939. By the 24 solar terms, December 22nd is Dongji 동지, the longest night of the year. Koreans normally eat patjuk 팥죽, a red bean porridge cooked with small round rice cakes Some people believe that the red color of the porridge drives away evil spirits. Patjuk is often painted on the walls or doors, or a bowl is placed in each room of the house.
5. Pettid, Michael J. (2008). Korean Cuisine: An Illustrated History. London: Reaktion Books. p. 87. ISBN 978-1-86189-348-2.
6. Meehan, Peter (22 November 2006). "Porridge, but Not the Goldilocks Kind". The New York Times. Retrieved 1 May 2017.
7. Pettid, Michael J. (2008). Korean Cuisine: An Illustrated History. London: Reaktion Books. p. 87. ISBN 978-1-86189-348-2. The representative food of this season is red bean porridge (p'at chuk); this is made by boiling red beans until they are fully cooked, smashing the beans and then adding balls of glutinous rice to create a porridge. Some variations also add noodles to the porridge.
8. Ro, Hyo-sun (27 February 2015). "Danpatjuk (sweet red bean porridge)". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
9. 김, 종대 (1996). Yeoldu dal pungsok nori 열두 달 풍속 놀이 (in Korean). Seoul: Sanha. p. 208. ISBN 9788976501424.
10. 장, 주근 (1984). Hangugui sesipungsok 한국의 세시풍속 (in Korean). Seoul: Hyungseul. pp. 301–303. ISBN 8288019056.
11. 宗, 懍. Jingchu suishiji 荊楚歲時記 (in Chinese) – via Wikisource.
12. 정, 승모 (2001). Hangugui sesipungsok 한국의 세시풍속 (in Korean). Seoul: Hakgojae. p. 278. ISBN 9788985846851.
13. 강, 무학 (1990). Hanguk sesi pungsokgi 한국세시풍속기 (in Korean). Seoul: Jipmoondang. p. 122. ISBN 9788930302692.