kabocha(Japanese pumpkin)

[Yuki]

I cooked half a kabocha with mashed up red miso, soya sauce with katsubushi and konbu, brown sugar, soya sauce and some chopped up ribs. It tasted pretty good even though I just added whatever condiments I thought would taste good.

Another favourite way of eating kabocha is to make it into a salad with mayo and chopped eggs, I had it in a food festival.

Anyone would like to share their kabocha's recipe?

[torakris]

kabocha corokke!

[lannie]

When I used to live in Japan, my Aussie flatmate used to whip up a tasty East-meets-West kabocha soup. He boiled up kabocha pieces until they could be mashed. Then, he sauteed onions, put in the mashed kabocha, added a little water, and seasoned with salt and pepper. Then, he swirled in a spoonful of sour cream before serving.

It was pretty oishii!

I aslo like kabocha tempura.

[Yuki]

kabocha corokke!

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When I used to live in Japan, my Aussie flatmate used to whip up a tasty East-meets-West kabocha soup.  He boiled up kabocha pieces until they could be mashed.  Then, he sauteed onions, put in the mashed kabocha, added a little water, and seasoned with salt and pepper.  Then, he swirled in a spoonful of sour cream before serving.

It was pretty oishii! 

I aslo like kabocha tempura.

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I would be cooking kabocha corokke and kabocha tempura..... if only I have more than 250ml of oil in the house.

There is a Chinese dessert that is served in a really good Hong Kong restaurant, they stuff egg treasure sticky rice into a kabocha and steam it. Then it is served with flower honey.

[Hiroyuki]

My wife's recipe for making kabocha soup is a little bit different. She cuts a kabocha into manageable bits and puts them in a microwave to heat them. Then she removes all skins from the flesh and smash the flesh only. She puts it in a pan and add milk and some pepper and salt.

She put the skins in a microwave to dry. To my surprise, both of my children like them.

[torakris]

I make kabocha soup A LOT! I make it different almost everytime and prefer it cold.

The easiest way is like Hiroyuki said, I put it in the microwave then scoop out the flesh sauteeing it with some onions then adding either water or stock (if I have any). I simmer until softened and then puree with my hand mixer, push it through a strainer and then chill adding milk before serving. If serving hot I don't bother straining and add the milk to the pot.

Sometimes I do a more western version and roast the kabocha halves before adding to the pot and sauteeing. I often top this version with some sauteed onions and sour cream.

I make more of a Thai version by simmering the kabocha in stock with additions of lemon grass and kaffir lime leaves, then I add a can of coconut milk at the end and maybe top it with some sauteed shrimp.

Every time I make a cream stew I make it with a kabocha base. I find plain cream stew to be bland so I soften kaboch in a microwave and then add the very softened flesh to the pot with the water and onions. I mash it while cooking (with a potato masher) so that the stock turns a lovely orange color, then I add potatoes, simmer a little longer and add the packet of cream stew roux. At the very end I add cut up pieces of fresh salmon (I find chicken very bland too) and lightly steamed broccoli and top it off with a little milk.

[Yuki]

I made a Kobocha dessert soup today. It contains smashed kobocha, fresh lotus bulb, coconut milk, water, tapioca, and brown sugar. It is so creamy and not too sweet.

[torakris]

I had a wonderful kabocha dessert just a little while back, it was at a SEAsian restaurant here. It was a kabocha shiruko made with coconut milk and little dango and a large spoonful of chunky anko and it was ganished with toasted kabocha seeds

[curlywurlyfi]

am totally intrigued by the idea of nuking the kabocha BEFORE cooking it. I bought one yesterday - thought I'd try it as a change from butternut - and am going to cook it tonight. So tell me - how does it work? Nuke on high for how many minutes? is the point just to make it a bit easier to peel? thanks!

Fi

[torakris]

I only microwave it when I am going to mash it up. I cut it into 4 pieces wrap each one individually and normally zap two at a time for about 5 minutes (500W), it is then scoopable and purees easily.

I don't microwave it when I want whole pieces, though a Japanese friend said she pops the whole kabocha in the microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute (again 500W) for ease in cutting.

[torakris]

Last night I made some kabocha rolls (I boiled and then passed the kabocha through a sieve), lightly seasoned with cardamom

these were a big hit!

[_john]

I grew kabocha this season and had a pretty good harvest for my small backyard (about 15 kabocha). I also have made a soup out of it but my technique was different. I roasted kabocha peices then added them to some roast chicken stock. I reserved some of the pieces that I had cut into nice chunks for texture. I then roasted the seeds after tossing them in a mix of curry powder and some clarified butter. some of the seeds i ground and made nut milk to add to the soup, the rest were for garnish. some curry powder and a dash of creme, put it all together and its heaven. I also enjoy it as tempura, simply baked with butter salt and garlic, and ive been thinking of making kabocha pumkin pie too..

[torakris]

I didn't actually make this, but I could if I really wanted to!

kabocha purin (sort of like a flan in a cup)

[torakris]

I made a kabocha and pasta gratin last night!

I suateed some bacon and onions then added the cubed kabocha to soften it just a bit, I then made a white sacue (bechamel) with butter, flour and milk. I combined all of this with some boiled pasta into a large casserole, grated some fresh mozarella on top and baked it until nice and bubbly. I could have cooked it a bit more to brown the cheese on top but I was really hungry....

[SuzySushi]

Oooh, oooh, me, me!!!!

Yesterday we had a three-family Tempura Party at a friend's house. The hostess provided the shrimp and tempura batter, I prepared the vegetables, and the third friend (whose wife had to work that day) brought soft drinks and dessert.

Veggies were: kabocha (I nuked the whole kabocha 2 minutes for easier slicing, then cut in half lengthwise, then crosswise and into 1/3" thick vertical slices), green beans, white sweet potato, onion, Oriental eggplant (too long to fan-cut, so I sliced them diagonally), and shiso leaves. Everything cooked perfectly and was tender by the time the batter turned golden.

Another favorite of mine is kabocha - aka pumpkin - flan, which is incredible!

[torakris]

I always buy whole kabocha, they keep longer that way and they are a heck of a lot cheaper than the cut pieces.

I often get 3 to 4 meals out of each one, this is what I made with my most recent kabocha

kabocha salad

microwaved until soft, then mashed with Japanese mayo and salt, at the end I added pine nuts and then refrigerated until it was time to eat

kabocha and camembert cheese gratin

the kabocha is sliced then microwaved until soft, I then sprinkle it with salt and pepper, layer it into a casserole with slices of camembert, sprinkle the top with panko and drizzle it with EVOO, then toss under the grill/broiler for a couple minutes till is is a nice brown color

this was a North African dish of kabocha and chickpeas, they were simmered together with onions, bell pepper and tomatoes and seasoned with just salt and pepper. I served it with harissa and topped it with a mixture of parsley and preserved lemons. This was the first time to make this and I loved it! A wonderful use for kabocha.

[Ms. Meliss]

This thread caught my attention so I'm reviving it! I love Kabocha but I tend to hit or miss when it comes to selecting a good one. Anyone willing to share tips on selecting a kabocha?

FYI- I use it for many things but in particular to make a special kabocha dessert which requires the kabocha to be just right or else the texture of the dessert is off. I've purchased the really little ones, med. sized, and larger one's. I find that the larger one's (I'm assuming because they are more mature) are a little too dry for my purpose and even if I add H20 to it, it causes the texture of the dessert to be somewhat...gritty or starchy I guess. I need the finished product to be nice and smooth. On the other hand it can't contain too much H20 or the dessert does not set. And I also prefer the kabocha to be on the sweeter side so I don't have to add as much sugar which tends to take away from the already subtle flavor of the kabocha.

Any tips on what to look for would be greatly appreciated! I tend to go for the med. sized ones with no blemishes or bumpy growths and sometimes I get lucky and get a good one but sometimes I don't

[JasonTrue]

This is a bit ambiguous, but generally the recommendation I hear is to pick ones that feel heavier than they look. Also, firm is usually better. If the bottom starts to be mushy or slightly moldy they are likely past their prime.

The bumps don't seem to be a big problem for flavor; they just make it harder to use for whole-kabocha presentations since the bumps could be distracting.

This time of year I find that most kabocha are too pale to use, but your mileage may vary depending on where yours are grown. I usually start looking for kabocha in late fall. In Seattle September is still a little soon for the best squashes, and February or early March is the end of the season for good ones.

As for moisture level, I adjust this with the cooking method. If they look moist I might pan roast them. If they look dry I make sure they are oven-steamed (halved, flesh down, in a pool of water). If I need them to be very moist I'll steam them with a bamboo steamer.

This thread caught my attention so I'm reviving it! I love Kabocha but I tend to hit or miss when it comes to selecting a good one. Anyone willing to share tips on selecting a kabocha?

FYI- I use it for many things but in particular to make a special kabocha dessert which requires the kabocha to be just right or else the texture of the dessert is off. I've purchased the really little ones, med. sized, and larger one's. I find that the larger one's (I'm assuming because they are more mature) are a little too dry for my purpose and even if I add H20 to it, it causes the texture of the dessert to be somewhat...gritty or starchy I guess. I need the finished product to be nice and smooth. On the other hand it can't contain too much H20 or the dessert does not set. And I also prefer the kabocha to be on the sweeter side so I don't have to add as much sugar which tends to take away from the already subtle flavor of the kabocha.

Any tips on what to look for would be greatly appreciated! I tend to go for the med. sized ones with no blemishes or bumpy growths and sometimes I get lucky and get a good one but sometimes I don't 

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[helenjp]

Kabocha can be tricky to judge, because it is not a really hard-skinned long-storage type, so you have to judge whether 1) the kabocha was ripe when picked and 2) it has not been stored so long that the starch is starting to deteriorate (it will be pulpy when cooked if that is the case).

Ripeness - the skin will start to be more matte than glossy, the pale patch will no longer be white but more yellow, and the stem should not be green and juicy but dry and a little corky (though that's not quite true for the early summer kabocha which are enjoyed more as a juicy and mildly sweet vegetable). The same is true for the skin - it can be thinner for early summer kabocha, but it should be hard and dark by fall.

I think that fall kabocha should not be completely smooth and round - you should be able to see some swelling in each segment, indicating that the seeds are ripening. Of course, if the seeds are completely ripe, the flesh will be past its best, and in any case, some varieties are smoother, while others have deep furrows between each segment, so use your judgement!

[Ms. Meliss]

Thanks for the helpful info!

[fido dido]

I made a kabocha pie for Thanksgiving this year...it was basically pumpkin pie. Yum! I saw it when the NYTimes interviewed Pichet Ong. Here's the recipe:

Kabocha Squash Pie

Also, there is a simmered kabocha with konbu recipe here:

http://www.nsknet.or.jp/~chrkaji/yasuko/recipe/088_e.html

I cooked half a kabocha with mashed up red miso, soya sauce with katsubushi and konbu, brown sugar, soya sauce and some chopped up ribs. It tasted pretty good even though I just added whatever condiments I thought would taste good.

Another favourite way of eating kabocha is to make it into a salad with mayo and chopped eggs, I had it in a food festival.

Anyone would like to share their kabocha's recipe?

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[fido dido]

Last night I made some kabocha rolls (I boiled and then passed the kabocha through a sieve), lightly seasoned with cardamom

these were a big hit!

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ooh! I have a kabocha sitting on my counter at home right now; would you share the recipe for those roles? they look awesome.

[torakris]

ooh!  I have a kabocha sitting on my counter at home right now; would you share the recipe for those roles?  they look awesome.

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I am sorry I must have missed this....

I will pm the recipe to you later today, it is from the Le Cordon Bleu complete cook home collection.

[AzianBrewer]

You guys torturing me here posting these pictures!!!! My friend made a Kobucha pie for Thanksgiving one year!!! I still prefer the good ol' pumpkin pie.

Cheers,

AzianBrewer

[6kitten]

Hello Everyone, I am making a recipe from Nobu - the miso marinated black cod. Anyone's got any suggestions for sides or dessert that would go well with this? Also I was thinking of the kabocha : has anyone a recipe to share for stewed japanese pumpkin? Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks!