Japanese pumpkin, kaboucha, is sweeter than other types of squash and has an almost potato-like texture when cooked. It's so good that you can simply bake, boil, or microwave it and eat it without any accouterments. Mind you, it's also very tasty with a little butter or soy sauce and mirin.
While I may be able to buy kaboucha in the U.S. in some Asian shops, I'll miss being able to buy it so easily any time the mood strikes me.
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Kabocha is one of my favorites, but i can only get whole ones from my local asian markets. I always end up using half myself, cooking the entire other half to keep from wasting it, and then nobody eats it. I get them cheaply so I can't complain, but I do hate the waste (and splitting them is a pain even with good knives)
ReplyDeleteI can get them at varying prices here, but the more affordable ones are grown in Mexico and taste very different from the Japanese ones. They have what I can best describe as a "cantaloupe" flavor and their texture is somewhat different (less creamy). I'm guessing soil and climate changes account for this. They're fine, and I have bought them on occasion, but it's just not the same.
DeleteIf I lived nearby, I'd take the rest of your kabocha! ;-) Since that's impractical, I'll suggest cooking it and freezing cubes of it for later consumption. The frozen cubes will lose their textural quality, but you can mash them and eat them as a side dish (or puree them into soups - a fantastic way to eat squash of all sorts).
Thanks for commenting!