I think that pine nut porridge is the queen of all the porridges! Beautifully white, mild in taste, warm and satisfying, I’ve never seen anybody who doesn’t like this porridge. The recipe is also very simple, made with just a few ingredients, and it’s super-nutritious! Pine nuts contain lots of protein, iron, magnesium, and are good to increase your energy level. They are made with a combination of protein, fiber, and healthy fats that are good for you.
Koreans have always considered jatjuk as a very precious dish, not only for the reasons above but because for a long time pine nuts have been very expensive in Korea. Also, grinding them into a porridge takes lot of labor in a mortar and pestle. For a long time it’s been a dish we give to our loved ones when they’re recovering from an illness or are in the hospital. It’s a wonderful thing to bring some jatjuk to someone in a thermos and say “This is for you.” It always makes them feel better.
Of course these days jatjuk is so much easier to make with a powerful, modern blender. I used to separate the tips from my pine nuts when I made this porridge, because the idea of them bothered me. But these days the blenders are so strong it just doesn’t make a difference. You can still see the old way I used to do it in my old video for this recipe from 2011.
I really like creamy jatjuk, it goes down smoothly. It looks soupy, but I recommend spooning it instead of drinking it, because I want you to enjoy the aftertaste. 1 spoon after, pause! And close your eyes just as I did in the video, to savor the taste. Oh yummy oh yummy. Do you taste a bit of the pine tree aroma there? Then start another spoon!
Ingredients
Serves 2
- ½ cup short grain rice (aka sushi rice) soaked in cold water for 1 hour
- ¼ cup pine nuts, rinsed and drained
- 3 cups water
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 large jujubes and several pine nuts for garnish (optional)
Directions
- Drain the soaked rice and add it to your blender. Add the pine nuts and water. Blend for 1 to 2 minutes until smooth and milky.
- Transfer it to a medium heavy pot on the stove. Turn on the heat to medium high heat.
- Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon, until bubbles pop up and it gets thick.
- Add the salt and keep stirring for about 1 minute, until the porridge gets thinner and semi-translucent.
- Transfer it to a bowl and add the jujube garnish (if used) to the top of the porridge. Serve immediately, while it’s hot.
How to make a jujube garnish
- Put a jujube on your cutting board and press the blade of your knife into the jujube until you can feel it touching the seed.
- Pick up the jujube and use your knife to separate the fruit from the seed, turning the jujube around as you work.
- Flatten the jujube fruit onto your cutting board, sticky side up.
- Put some pine nuts into the jujube and press them in. Roll the jujube around the nuts.
- Squeeze it tightly in your fist a few times so it holds together.
- Cut the rolled up jujube crosswise into slices, to make little flowers.
This soup is definitely a great meal for someone who is ill or recovering from an illness. It is very smooth, mild, and comforting.
The batch I made today was a lot thicker than Maangchi’s. I’m thinking that this is because either a.)I was too impatient, and/or b.)the only short-grain rice I had available was risotto rice, which is super super absorbent.
I feel like having the porridge now! Delicious!
Wow!! Just seeing this porridge, make me wanna cook it immediately and know what the feeling when im eating this spoon by spoon :). But suddenly i dunno where i can find the pine nut in my place. can i use almond or ginko or other recommended nuts to replace it? is the taste still good?
Using almond sounds good to me!
I want to make it one day. Right now I have a son, who is almost 5months old. He doesnt like instant rice cereal, been trying to feed him for 2 weeks now. He keep pushing the spoon away and it’s a big MESS every where!
But he loves fresh mixed fruits and home-made smash vegetables.
So I wanna make porridge, but your recipe has salt. But if I dont add salt would the “soup” get thinner or just thick?
Do you have any korean recipe for “baby food” I can make for my baby?
by the way how do I upload my picture on my profile? I dont see the link :(
Check out my porridge recipes here: https://www.maangchi.com/recipes/porridge
My doctor said not to feed babies anything but breastmilk (or baby formula) for at least 6 months!
Hi Monica.. If you see the comment posted by joolicious,, it is correct what the doctor said.. Actually,, it’s best for a 1-6 months old baby to eat nothing but breastmilk.. It’s called exclusive breastfeeding.. A gradual increase on the baby’s bodyweight (compare to bodyweight of other baby with same age) shows that you already gave him/her enough ammount of breastmilk..
But since you already gave him smashed vegetable you can try to give him this pine nut porridge little by little using spoon.. If he eat it well,,then it’s okay to continue.. And about the salt,,what’s the problem? Does your baby have an allergic to it? Maybe you can add sugar or milk to replace salt..
I hope it’ll help.. :)
Maangchi,
I just tried this recipe for my dad but my blender is not very good so it left chunks of nuts and rice :\ does the texture change the overall taste?
“..it left chunks of nuts and rice :\ does the texture change the overall taste?”
As long as the porridge is well cooked, it will be tasty.
I can’t go to the store until tomorrow to get pine nuts, but I really want to try this porridge right away! I think I will wait though, I don’t think the porridge will taste right without the pine nuts :( When I make it tomorrow I will take pictures and let you know how it turns out!
this would have been good to make when i had sore throat this past week , but either way , it looks delicious , and easy , and i am going to try making it sometimes soon .
:)
Hi my name is Top . Nice 2 meet u . I always watch u video on Youtube . I like u cooking style so much.
What a tasty, satisfying, handy and simple recipe. I like the subtle taste from the pine nuts. I use brown rice instead of white rice, and it turns out just right with this kind of rice.
oh, brown rice worked well? Great!
I made this last night immediately after viewing the video. So good! I ended up sprinkling a little sugar on top and we had small bowls for “desert”.
What are the little green balls in the photo?
awesome! The green balls are tomatillos.
Thanks for showing this recipe, I didn’t know how to make it. Have you ever tried it with short grain sweet brown rice? Maybe it takes slightly longer to cook. The pine needle and nut garnish is beautiful. Does it leave a pine taste?
I always think the best jatjuk is white, creamy, and a little soupy, but if you want to use brown sweet rice, go ahead, why not. : ) “Does it leave a pine taste?” if you try to feel the subtle fragrance, you may get it.
It never crossed my mind to blend rice to create a smooth porridge consistency. Thats a brilliant idea! A wild thought. I think if modified this recipe a little by adding in condensed milk or something, it might turn into a delicious desert too.
cute thought!
I’m curious if you can toast the pine nuts. Will it give the porridge a more pine nut flavor? I’ll give this recipe a try after going to the market to look for pine nuts. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
What a great idea!
It’s like Dae Jang Geum! This reminds me of the scene where the girls have to put the pine nuts on the end of the pine needles. Yum! I look forward to trying this recipe out.
totally! i also thought of Dae Jang Geum! ^_^
That looks sooo delicious and pretty, I can’t wait to cook it :).
I was wondering when you would post this recipe, but finally you did! :D
Thank you really much, and a happy new year (maybe a little bit late :D)!
yes, go ahead. Let me know how your jatjuk turns out. Never late to give a good wish! . Happy New Year to you! : )