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1
Place the whole, uncut kabocha in a steamer basket over vigorously boiling water and steam with the lid on until a skewer meets no resistance through the skin, 35–45 minutes — steaming the squash whole rather than halved keeps the flesh from absorbing water, so the purée later will be dense and sweet rather than dilute. Remove and allow to cool until handleable. The flesh inside must be fully collapsed and dark orange; any pale, firm zone will produce a watery purée.
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2
Halve the steamed kabocha, scoop out the seeds and fibrous cavity, and peel away the skin, which lifts cleanly from properly cooked flesh. Mash the flesh with a fork or pass it through a coarse sieve into a heavy saucepan, so you keep enough rustic texture to give the porridge its characteristic body. Do not strain or blend to smoothness; a degree of texture is part of the character of hobak-juk.
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3
Add the litre of water to the saucepan with the mashed kabocha and stir to combine over a medium-low flame, bringing it to a gentle simmer where the surface trembles and releases slow, lazy bubbles — this is where the dish lives or dies, because a rolling boil aerates the porridge and cooks the starch unevenly, destroying the velvety, almost pudding-like consistency that defines hobak-juk. Maintain this gentle simmer throughout.
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4
While the porridge simmers, make the ong-shimi by working the warm water into the glutinous rice flour gradually — warm water hydrates the flour more evenly than cold, so the dough comes together without dry pockets and the finished balls cook through at the same rate. Knead until the dough is smooth, pliable, and does not crack at the edges when pinched; it should feel like a soft earlobe, supple but not sticky. Pinch off portions and roll between the palms into balls roughly 2 cm in diameter, no larger, as they swell considerably on cooking.
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5
In the final 5–8 minutes of simmering, drop the ong-shimi into the porridge one by one, so they do not clump or lower the temperature sharply enough to stall the cook. They will sink, then rise and bob at the surface; cook until each ball is uniformly translucent throughout with no white, starchy core when halved, which signals the glutinous starch has fully gelatinised and the ong-shimi will be tender-chewy rather than dense.
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6
Season with fine sea salt. Taste before adding any sugar — well-ripened kabocha may require none — and adjust in small increments. The porridge is ready when it coats a spoon in a thick, even, orange layer and holds a slow ribbon when the spoon is lifted; serve immediately in warmed bowls, scattered with roasted pine nuts.