My new favorite vegetable: kabocha

It is also called “Japanese squash” and here in Hawai’i it is known as “Hawaiian squash.”

It’s a winter-type squash with green skin and orange flesh. You can eat the skin, so it’s quite easy to prepare - just cut up, scoop out the seeds (which I guess you can roast and eat like pumpkin seeds though I have not done it), cut to your desired size and shape, and cook. It’s yummy in a coconut curry. I also made this Hawaiian Style Ratatouille a couple days ago (I didn’t bother with the quinoa, just the veggies) and it was to die for.

Kabocha is dense and velvety (rather like a sweet potato) with a mild, sweet flavor.

Before I started this thread I thought kabocha was probably hard to get outside Hawai’i and that I would be telling you all about something you couldn’t have. However, after looking it up on the internet it seems like it is widely available. I recommend giving it a try.

If you’re familiar with it and have some good ways to use it, let me know. I have half of one sitting in the fridge right now that I should use up. (Come to think of it, I have some leftover coconut curry sauce too…hmmm…)

Our neighbors grow lots of squash varieties and sell them in their market. I’ll have to ask if they’re growing kabocha this year. They’ve grown it for a few years and we’ve been enjoying it.