Crazy About Kabocha!

Oh, sweet orange veg!

Kudos to the kabocha,

Soul food of the fall.

A massive 6lb white kabocha, courtesy of my iaido sensei :)

Yesterday was 文化の日 (Culture Day), yet another of the many public holidays we are treated to in the fall.  Otoineppu celebrates with a weekend-long culture festival which culminates in a series of performances and mochi maki on Culture Day.  Last year I braved the festivities and came away with more mochi than I could possible eat.  Yesterday, however, I ended up skipping the enka in favor of a kabocha feast.

How to have a kabocha feast:

1.     Accept an invitation to bake and eat kabocha.

2.     Bake a kabocha.  (Or, more accurately, watch your host bake a kabocha while you copy and translate the recipe.)

3.     While you’re at it, learn how to make kabocha dango.

4.     Feast on baked kabocha soup, kabocha bread, kabocha dango, and other delicious treats.

5.     Take home the leftovers.

6.     Never go hungry again!

Be Prepared! (for deliciousness)

The kabocha is a delicious pumpkin-like vegetable currently in season in Hokkaido.  It is a great bento filler when simmered Japanese-style, but can also easily replace pumpkin or squash in a Western recipe.  The recipe I learned yesterday is definitely a more Western style (no soy sauce in sight!) and results in a kind of creamy pumpkin soup inside a beautiful roasted kabocha.  Yum!

Easy as pie!
(Easier, actually, since pre-made pie crusts and canned pumpkin don't exist in Japan...)

Ingredients:

1 kabocha (or other small pumpkin/squash)

50 grams butter

200 milliliters cream

100 milliliters milk (adjust to fit size of kabocha)

60 grams sugar

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:

Wash the kabocha and cut out a lid from the top (like a jack-o-lantern, so it won’t fall in!)

Scoop out the seeds.  (Japanese people usually throw them away, but they’re definitely worth cleaning and roasting!)

Pour all the ingredients into the kabocha, then replace the lid and coat the entire kabocha with oil.

Bake at 220 degrees C for 30 minutes.*

Remove the lid (but keep it cooking!) and bake at 230 degrees C for another 10 minutes.

Remove the kabocha from oven, replace the lid, and let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

To serve, scoop roasted kabocha flesh from the sides and mix into the creamy sauce for a delicious kabocha soup!

*Cooking times will vary depending on kabocha size