Does anyone know a easy efficient way to prepare Japanese Pumpkin?

Question

I have a difficult time cutting it up to cook it. These petite green pumpkins that you find in market with Acorn Squashes and etc. have a much tougher texture than pumpkins that we use to make Jack-o-Lanterns. I want to cut in half and then into wedges for baking or steaming with skin on.

I wonder if peeling it before attempting to chop it up would make the task easier? I don't have a cleaver. It is such a tasty vegetable but so frustrating for me to prepare. Any suggestions as to what to do if you don't own a cleaver?

Answer 1

The easiest way is to cut into 1 inch cubes or wedges and simmer for abut 25 minutes.

You need a sharp knife to do this. I would suggest a "Chinese" knife or cleaver.

Traditionally, it is simmered in soup stock which is then cooked down and made into a sauce to put on it. I just cook it, drizzle a little melted butter on it, and use white pepper to taste.

Answer 2

cut it in half wrap in in foil with some butter and bake it at 350 for 45min to an hour depending on size.

you can also peel it an boil it for miso soup...yummy

itatakimasu!

Answer 3

The easiest way is to steam or bake half of it with fillings. I once chopped it into half, spooned the seeds out, filled it up with eggs (beat) & milk + sugar, then steamed it for an hour to make pudding, I was lazy to chop it in pieces.

You may put it in your mircowave to slightly cook it before you chop it into pieces. You need a real sharp (heavy) knife to chop it into pieces.

I would suggest you to cut it in 1 inch thick, then steam the pieces for 15 minutes and cook with with minced pork or chicken (300g, marinated with salt, soy sauce, sugar, garlic powder), cooking wine & chicken stock + light soy sauce for another 10 minutes or till soft. It is yummy.

Pumpkin tempura tastes great too. (See below photo)
http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images/view?back=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%2Fimages%3Fp%3Djapanese%2Bpumpkin%2Bphoto%26prssweb%3DSearch%26ei%3DUTF-8%26qp_p%3Djapanese%2Bpumpkin%26imgsz%3Dall%26fr%3DFP-pull-web-t%26b%3D21&w=421&h=276&imgurl=www.slashfood.com%2Fimages%2F2005%2F10%2Fkabochatempura.jpg&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.slashfood.com%2F2005%2F10%2F24%2Fpumpkin-japanese-style-kabocha-tempura&size=37.8kB&name=kabochatempura.jpg&p=japanese+pumpkin+photo&type=jpeg&no=30&tt=316&oid=57646729a60d4fd4&ei=UTF-8

You can find some Japanese recipes for kabocha pumpkin from below website.
http://japanesefood.about.com/library/weekly/aa102102a.htm

Answer 4

Deep-Fried Pumpkin and Pork


FOR THE PUMPKIN
7/8 lb pumpkin (kiku-kabocha)
Starch (katakuriko)
1 x egg white
Dry glutinous rice flour (shinbikiko)
COOKING SOLUTION
2 1/8 cup kelp-flavored fish stock (nidashijiru)
3 tbl sugar
2 tbl sweetened cooking sake (mirin)
1/2 tsp salt
FOR THE PORK
2/3 lb pork (leg portion)
4 tbl soy sauce (shoyu)
2 tbl sweetened cooking sake (mirin)
Starch
Oil for deep-frying

For the pumpkin: Remove pumpkin seeds and clean inside. Cut into 1-inch cubes. Remove skin (except central portion each cube).
Place pumpkin in pot and add cooking solution. Cover and simmer until flavored.
Coat pumpkin with starch, then egg white, then glutinous rice flour. Heat oil to 360 degrees and deep-fry.
For the pork: Cut pork into 1 1/2-inch-long strips. Marinate in soy sauce and sweetened cooking sake for about 20 minutes.
Coat pork with starch. Heat oil to 360 degrees and deep-fry until crisp.
This recipe yields 4 servings.
Simmered Pumpkin

1 1/3 lb pumpkin
2 cup kelp-flavored fish stock (nidashijiru)
6 tbl sugar
1 tbl sweetened cooking sake (mirin)
1 tsp salt
4 tbl light color soy sauce (usukuchi-shoyu)
Dried bonito flakes (ito-gatsuo) to taste

Method :
Remove seeds; cut pumpkin into bite-size pieces. Peel partially and trim edges.
Put pumpkin in saucepan, add stock and bring to boil. Reduce to low heat and skim off foam.
Add sugar and sweetened cooking sake, cover with paper or wooden drop lid to season ingredients evenly and simmer.
When pumpkin is soft, add salt and soy sauce (to test, insert bamboo skewer). Simmer until pumpkin absorbs most of sauce.
Place on serving plate and sprinkle with dried bonito flakes.
This recipe yields 4 servings.