First, cut the kabocha squash into quarters or halves, as you prefer. Remove all the seeds and put the squash into a large pot. Add about 6 cups of water; it must be one-third way above the squash.

Cover the lid and boil it over medium to high heat until the kabocha becomes tender. Let it boil for about 25 to 30 minutes. Now, remove the water and allow the squash to cool down.

When you feel that the squash is cool enough to deal with, take out the flesh, or you can just peel off the skin.

Use a blender to make a smooth paste of the cooked squash at this juncture. If needed, you can add a few tablespoons of water to blend smoothly. Or else, you can also make use of an immersion blender, and gently mash it using a spoon or a potato masher, if you like to let some squash lumps remain in the porridge.

In a blender, add the soaked glutinous rice and 1 cup of water and grind it properly.

Now, pour the blended sweet rice into the pot of the already-cooked squash. Add 3 cups of water to the pot.

Cook it over medium heat. Keep stirring until the rice comes to be translucent and the porridge turns thick.

Next, turn the heat to low and cover the lid. Let it simmer and stir occasionally. Do this for at least 20 minutes. At this point, you can adjust the consistency of the pumpkin porridge according to your preference.

Add salt, brown sugar, and red beans (cooked optionally). Cook the porridge for 3 to 4 minutes more, and it's ready!

Take a medium-sized bowl, and add rice powder, sugar, and salt. Mix it well.

Add 4 tablespoons of boiling hot water. While adding the water, keep stirring. When it becomes cool enough for dealing, start kneading using your hands to form a dough. However, you can also use coconut water instead of water to cook the sweet rice, which will give the pumpkin porridge a creamier texture and a hint of coconut flavor.

Now, you have to give the dough a ¾-inch cylinder-like shape. Cut that into ¾ inch pieces. Roll each & every piece between your palms in order to make a small ball.

Take a pot, add water, and bring it to a boil. Put in the rice cake balls and cook until they start floating. Move them to a large-sized bowl that has cold water. Let them cool, then drain out the water.

Spoon out some Hobak-juk into a serving bowl. Serve the hot pumpkin porridge with a few optional garnishes and rice cake balls.