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| Dongji Patjuk |
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Koo Chun-sur
Director, World Food Research Institute
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Children in Western countries enjoy listening to fairy tales such as ¡°Cinderella.¡± The memories of listening to such stories last a lifetime. Korean children also enjoy a similar story known as ¡°Konjui-Patjui,¡± a story of unknown origin that has been passed down orally from generation to generation. Children would empathize with the main character, experiencing joy and anger while listening to the story.
Once upon a time, during the mid-Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), there lived a government official named Choe Man-chun. He lived a happy life in Jeollanam-do province, renowned as the breadbasket of the country, with his wife Cho and a daughter Konjui. But his wife Cho suddenly died of illness. Most government officials in those days were financially well off, so Choe remarried a widow named Bae. They had a daughter named Patjui. For whatever reason, Patjui was a mean-tempered girl. In fact, Konjui¡¯s stepmother Bae, and stepsister Patjui, began to abuse Konjui in every way they could think of. Fortunately, a fairy came to Konjui¡¯s rescue and she was able to marry the top official of the county. Konjui¡¯s stepmother and Patjui then came up with a wicked plan to get rid of Konjui, and they succeeded by drowning her in a pond. Konjui, however, returns to life and takes revenge against her stepmother and stepsister.
As a result of hearing the tale of ¡°Konjui-Patjui¡± as a child, Koreans often develop strong impressions about kong (bean) and pat (red bean). Adzuki is a bean whose red color is believed by many Koreans to possess the power to dispel demons.
The red color is also linked to concepts of yin yang and the Five Elements (metal, wood, water, fire, earth), the foundation of Oriental medicine. According to the principles of yin yang and the Five Elements, all matters pertaining to humans and the universe can be explained through yin and yang. The creation and destruction of all things are explained by the transformation of the Five Elements, while the five colors blue, red, yellow, white, and black are identified with the Five Elements.
In the beginning, humans lacked an understanding of how nature worked. One of the natural phenomena that especially mystified the people was the cycle of night and day. Especially for those living around the earth¡¯s mid-latitude, the changing of the seasons further added to their confusion.
Moreover, they were intrigued by natural phenomena such as thunder, rain, and clouds, while fearing fierce animals and disease. Faith or religion, which originated from such fears, developed to take on a more systematic approach to understanding natural phenomena as society evolved from food-gathering to agriculture.
Stars, which were first thought to appear in the same place in the sky, were later discovered to move around during a year. The sun, the biggest star, rose in the morning and set at night.
The changes of the sun were relatively easy to understand compared to that of the moon. The moon not only appeared at night but also could often be seen during daytime. Its shape also changed from a full circle to a half circle and then disappeared. As the tide also changed with the seasons, depending on the cycle of the moon, they thus discovered a natural cycle that repeated itself.
Observing that the cycle of the moon repeated itself 12 times a year, people began to develop calendars. People also found that the daytime hours would shorten and lengthen during a year. A shorter daytime meant colder weather and longer nights, which was accompanied by a fear of the unknown. Fortunately, daytime would begin to lengthen at a certain point, which is now referred to as the winter solstice.
Longer sunlight symbolizes the beginning of brighter days. Ancient Koreans called this day Ase, and also referred to it as ¡°little new year¡¯s day.¡± Daytime begins to shorten from the summer solstice and becomes the shortest on the winter solstice. Daytime, in turn, begins to lengthen starting with the winter solstice, the day on which ¡°the sun returns from the dead.¡± People thus celebrated this day and prepared a feast for the God of the Sun.
In Korea, adzuki bean gruel with small dumplings was prepared on the winter solstice. The number of dumplings would match the diner¡¯s age, while the red color of the gruel was believed to dispel evil spirits. The bean gruel was sometimes applied to the doors of a house to discourage demons from entering. Servings of the gruel were offered at the ancestral shrine, as well as to the gods of each room of the house, storage areas, and the sauce jar terrace. Family members would gather afterward to eat the gruel after it cooled down.
Recipe
Adzuki bean gruel is prepared with red beans, that are boiled, mashed and sieved, and then mixed and boiled with rice.
1. Wash the red beans with water. Heat the beans with a sufficient amount of water until it boils, discard the boiled water and replace with fresh water. Boil the beans until completely cooked (the beans should crack open). Save this water for the dumplings. Add some salt and mash the beans. Sieve the mashed beans and remove the skins. Carefully cook the mashed beans in water on low heat, stirring gently with a flat wooden spoon. If the beans are cooked at too high a temperature, they will burn and result in an unsavory taste.
2. Dumplings: Water used for cooking the red beans should be boiled over low heat in order to ensure a bright red color. Mix glutinous rice powder with the water. Add ginger juice to the mixture. Form round dumplings (1-1.5 centimeters in diameter).
3. Drain the water from the cooked mashed red beans. Boil the drained water in a pot until the water becomes clear. Put the mashed red beans in the water and boil again, stirring gently.
4. Add the rice when the water boils. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
5. Add the dumplings and simmer until they float. When the dumplings turn dark red, remove the pot from the heat. glutinous rice cakes can be used instead of dumplings.
Tips for Serving
Mulkimchi (radish kimchi prepared with more water than regualr kimchi) is typically served with adzuki bean gruel.
Sugar (about 1 teaspoon) and salt can be added (Honey is often used instead of sugar). |
Source: Koreana, Winter 2002 |
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