![]() ![]() Try cooked, pureed kabocha in breads, cakes and muffins, too. Layer it in lasagna and gratins, and use it to stuff ravioli. ![]() Combine it with grains, as in this winter squash risotto, with white wine and Parmesan cheese. The smooth, sweet flesh is wonderful plain, with a simple sprinkling of black pepper and a dab of butter, but it also partners well with stronger flavors, like the red curry and lime in this Red Curry Shrimp and Kabocha Squash.Īdd chunks of cooked kabocha to salads, with a maple or orange dressing. Popular in Japanese and Korean fare, you'll find kabocha used for making fried tempura, soups and stews, and even in desserts. Softening it a bit in a microwave is said to make the task a little easier. That rind can be hard to cut through, too. The rind is edible but usually peeled away. Like other winter squash, kabocha can be roasted, steamed, baked or pan-fried. Varieties you may run across at the farmer's market or in your co-op's produce section include Winter Sweet (a great storer), Sunshine (an orange-skinned variety), Black Forest (a small kabocha), Cutie (a small, dark orange variety with lighter orange stripes) and Shokichi (a mini variety). While most kabocha are green-skinned, there are also some orange-skinned varieties. In Japan, this squash is known as kuri kabocha or nutty pumpkin. It also provides small amounts of calcium, folic acid and trace B vitamins. Kabocha squash is high in beta-carotene, iron, vitamin C, fiber and potassium. After harvest, it's ripened for a couple of weeks in a warm space then cured in cold storage for a month to fully develop its flavor and texture. Today, kabocha squash is grown mostly in Japan, South Korea, Thailand, California, Florida, Hawaii, Colorado, Mexico and Tasmania. The sailors called it Cambodia abobora, and the Japanese named it kabocha. Portuguese sailors brought the sweet Asian winter squash from Cambodia to Japan in 1541. Kabocha can grow as big as eight pounds or more, but it's usually just a few pounds, making it ideal for single or small servings. Light green stripes run unevenly around its dull, deep green, hard, mottled skin, and its fluffy flesh is yellow/orange. That's kabocha-kah-bow-cha-squash.Ī squat specimen, kabocha is similar to a buttercup squash but with a base that points outward. Now imagine nutty, earthy sweetness for taste. ![]()
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