Kabocha squash, also known as Japanese pumpkin, is a hard-shelled winter squash, not unlike the more familiar acorn and butternut squashes. I was introduced to this particular variety by way of a pumpkin soup recipe created by chef Eric Ripert as part of his Market Table Dinner Social - and though it was a lot of work to hack apart my squash, the soup was fantastic and completely worth it.
Kabocha (pronounced kah-BOH-cha), is a wonderfully sweet squash (sweeter even than butternut), and has a rather floral aroma when cut. In addition to that, its flesh is almost completely fiberless, resulting in a very tender and succulent cooked squash. In working with it, I found it to be a bit dry, so having supplemental liquid to add to your soup or roast would be wise. Here's an interesting fact I uncovered in my research: Kabocha squash is immature when harvested, not reaching peak ripeness till 1 1/2 to 3 months after harvest. Average size for a kabocha is 2-3 lbs, though they can evidently grow as large as 6-8 lbs. My specimen weighed in at about 3 1/2 lbs, and that produced roughly 4-5 cups of diced squash (though it's important to understand that I'm not a skilled hard squash disassembler, so there's probably some waste to account for there).
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Michele says
Where did you find your Kabocha? I've been looking for weeks now to find one. I'm even surrounded by Asian grocery stores and have had no luck.
November 11, 2008 10:59 AM -
April says
One of our local grocery stores has a big bin full of winter squashes that I dug through until I found a kabocha. If you can't find kabocha, I hear that the buttercup squash behave similarly.
November 11, 2008 11:04 AM -
Heather says
I've been seeing this kabocha everywhere, but most notably, at my neighborhood grocery store. I can already smell butter and curry...
November 12, 2008 12:13 AM -
April says
Oohh - curry would be wonderful! Trying out the kabocha makes me want to check out more winter squashes.
November 12, 2008 9:41 PM -
Jude says
I love this type of squash... even if it's a pain to peel. It has a more vibrant orange color to me and that's part of its appeal for me.
November 15, 2008 1:07 AM -
April says
Definitely this squash is beautifully orange-fleshed - and very fragrant - I enjoyed it as well (despite the painful peeling :-) )
November 15, 2008 12:38 PM
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