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Sweet Pumpkin Porridge is one of those perfect comforting foods during cooler weather.

Ah, don’t you just love the smell of cooler weather approaching, beautiful Autumn scenery and comfort food?

Alright, perhaps we look forward to comforting holiday food more than anything else, but fall weather and scenery is up there, too?!

I just love going to mountains this time of year and breathing fresh air, enjoying gorgeous nature and looking at trees that look like man-made color placements.

To be honest, there is nothing more relaxing than enjoying a quiet time in nature. I worked so hard this year that I need one more short weekend getaway, preferably with my hubby only. Just two of us!

Well, to be honest, I’d miss my kids and kitties way too much. Needless to say, the weekend getaway does sound like a dream right now.

Let’s talk more about this tasty and sweet pumpkin porridge. It is a simply delightful comfort with every spoon you take.

I understand that it is not everyone’s cup of tea, nevertheless, it is so delicious and above all fulfilling as well as healthy.

Tap here for more tasty Fall Recipes

Since it is Pumpkin season I wanted to share pumpkin recipes and some of its health benefits.

Pumpkins/squashes are not only delicious but like I said healthy; they relieve stress, they’re good for weight loss, good for eyes and skin, it boosts the immune system and helps the digestive system and yes, they could reduce risk of cancer. I believe it is in the category of super-foods!

When I was growing up, rice porridge was usually offered to the kids. Which is not as flavorful.

However, it was mostly eaten when we felt sick and needed something light just to keep us going, and through the days of illness.

Any porridge is good for the digestive system because it’s light and texture is easy to digest.

Check out more Breakfast Ideas

I made a twist, a huge one on Korean traditional pumpkin porridge called Hobaak Jook (juk). I am not saying that Korean pumpkin porridge is not delicious, on the contrary, it is very comforting, especially if you like pumpkin.

First, instead of boiling, I roasted pumpkin. The best one for porridge or even soups is winter squash such as Butternut, Lakota, Kabocha, Buttercup squashes/pumpkins. My favorite is Kabocha, which I found in Trader Joe’s.

Pumpkin is naturally sweet, but the winter squash that I wrote above is just a little sweeter. I like to mix different pumpkins as it gives better and different levels of flavor.

Also instead of sugar, I used organic honey, and spices such as ground ginger, cinnamon and pumpkin spice which made a huge difference. With all the changes and twists you are increasing the flavor as well as health benefits.

Comparing rice that you granulate yourself vs. sweet rice flour in pumpkin porridge, I like granulated rice because even though that coarse rice is cooked it still gives you little nuttiness.

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If you make my Sweet Pumpkin Porridge, please tag me on Instagram. @sandraseasycooking with hashtags #sandraseasycooking. I would love to share your creations with everyone. Thank you so much in advance!

Serves 4

Sweet Pumpkin Porridge

Name: Sweet Pumpkin Porridge
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 2 h 15 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: ASIAN CUISINE
Ingredients: 3 lb pumpkin or winter squash (Salt, ground ginger, cinnamon, brown sugar - Few pinches on each slice); 1 cup Sweet Mochi Rice/Glutinous Rice (or Flour)/Water, enough to cover over the rice for soaking; 1-1.5 cup water, for cooking; 1/2 tsp. Salt; 2 tsp. Pumpkin Spice; Organic Honey, to taste /or other sweeteners; Pumpkin seeds for garnish, or any nuts

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Additional Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes

Sweet Pumpkin Porridge is one of those perfect comforting foods during cooler weather

Ingredients

3 lb pumpkin or winter squash (Salt, ground ginger, cinnamon, brown sugar - Few pinches on each slice)
1 cup Sweet Mochi Rice/Glutinous Rice (or Flour)/Water, enough to cover over the rice for soaking
1-1.5 cup water, for cooking
1/2 tsp. Salt
2 tsp. Pumpkin Spice
Organic Honey, to taste /or other sweeteners
Pumpkin seeds for garnish, or any nuts

Instructions

Wash the rice 3-4 times and soak in a big bowl for about an hour.
When the rice is soaked at least 1 hour (although, it's the best if you soak it for a couple of hours) place rice into a food processor with a bit of water and puree until it gets completely granulated. READ NOTES
Preheat oven on 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Pumpkin Prep: Slice the pumpkin into thicker slices (be careful), take out the seeds and reserve for later; Season pumpkin with few pinches of salt, ground ginger, cinnamon, and brown sugar to taste. Rub all over and place in baking pan. Roast until the pumpkin slices are tender, about 30-40 minutes. Once done, separate skin from the pumpkin flesh (be careful it could be still hot) and Puree in a food processor, and add a little bit of water so it's easier to puree. I ended up with little more than 2 cups of pumpkin puree.
In a large pot add 1 cup of water and pumpkin puree. Stir until it bubbles, then start adding the rice puree, keep stirring and add pumpkin spice, salt, and honey.
Stirring is very important because it can stick to the bottom of the pot very fast. Lower the heat on simmer, and slowly just stir for 5 minutes. Add more water when porridge becomes too thick, and cook for 20 more minutes on simmer. It's done when rice becomes smoother and cooked. Taste the porridge and add more sweetener to your taste preference.
Garnish with roasted and peeled pumpkin seeds OR chopped nuts. Serve on room temperature.

Notes

You can skip the part of soaking the rice and instead use sweet Glutinous rice flour ..just make sure to mix it into a smooth texture (with water). You can find videos regarding this type of porridge. When you are using flour, it will be more smooth. I like the texture of granulated rice in porridge. You can also make it thick or thinner just by adjusting it with water. When you taste that rice is cooked take it off the stove and cover. It's all in the taste senses, so use them!
For pumpkin seeds, I wash them, dry with kitchen paper towels and then toss on the newspaper then outside to air dry completely. Preheat oven on 400F then put sea salt, I used actually sriracha salt and it was fantastic. Bake until they are toasted. However, if you going to garnish porridge with pumpkin seeds, of curse peel them.
For baby food, I would definitely either make rice cooked with adding more water or use flour because it gives you a smooth texture. If the baby is not at least year and a half please do not use honey, and add some other natural sweetener. Of course, you got to keep it a notch down because babies can't handle sweet like adults.