Customs of eating red bean porridge on Dongji and how to make Alto-ran style red bean porridge

The day with the longest night is called Dongji, the 22nd of the 24 solar terms. Calculated by the solar calendar, it falls around December 22–23; in 2019, this year's Dongji falls on Sunday, December 22.  

On Dongji, people eat red bean porridge (patjuk). In the past, red bean porridge was made to perform rituals at shrines, and it was placed throughout the house to be eaten with the family once it cooled. Because red beans were believed to drive away evil spirits due to their red color, red bean porridge was placed in the house to repel malevolent ghosts. There was also a superstition that if one did not eat red bean porridge, they would age easily, suffer from minor illnesses, and evil spirits would flourish.  

The method for cooking red bean porridge introduced on 'Alto-ran' is as follows. This is based on 4 servings. First, wash 3 cups (410g) of red beans thoroughly. It is said that not soaking the beans results in a deeper and finer color for the porridge. Put 2L of water and the red beans in a pot and boil over high heat. If using red beans harvested in the autumn, you may use the first boiling water as is, but if using old red beans or those harvested in the summer, discard the boiling water. After boiling for 30 minutes, add 1.5L of hot water and boil for another 20 minutes. Use a sieve to separate the beans and put them in a blender. Pour only some of the 2L of water into the blender to make red bean paste. Pour the red bean boiling water into a bowl, add the red bean paste, and adjust the consistency by mixing in water little by little. Once it reaches a naturally flowing consistency, add 5g of salt.  

Now, let's learn how to make the saeal-sim (rice balls) to go into the red bean porridge. Finely grind 1kg of soaked glutinous rice and 3g of salt. Gradually pour in 1 cup of hot water and knead the dough thoroughly. Divide the dough into three parts and roll them into long, even cylinders. Cut them into uniform sizes and shape them into balls. Place them on a sieve to air-dry for 3–4 hours, then let them age in the refrigerator for one day without sealing them.

Returning to the red bean porridge. Mix half a cup of non-glutinous rice flour with one and a half cups of cooled red bean water. Put all the remaining red bean water in a pot and bring to a boil. Add the saeal-sim to the boiling red bean water. When the floating rice balls puff up slightly, add the non-glutinous rice flour to complete the dish.