Chinese Pumpkin 炒南瓜, a.k.a. Kabocha (/kəˈboʊtʃə/; from Japanese カボチャ, 南瓜) is a type of winter squash, a Japanese variety of the species Cucurbita maxima. It is also called kabocha squash or Japanese pumpkin[1] in North America. In Japan, “kabocha” may refer to either this squash, to the Western pumpkin, or indeed to other squashes.

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Many of the kabocha in the market are kuri kabocha, a type created from seiyo kabocha (buttercup squash). Varieties of kabocha include Ajihei, Ajihei No. 107, Ajihei No. 331, Ajihei No. 335, Cutie, Ebisu, Emiguri, Marron d’Or and Miyako.

Kabocha is hard on the outside with knobbly-looking skin. It is shaped like a squat pumpkin and has a dull-finished, deep-green skin with some celadon-to-white stripes and an intense yellow-orange color on the inside. In many respects it is similar to buttercup squash, but without the characteristic protruding “cup” on the blossom (bottom) end.

An average kabocha weighs two to three pounds, but a large squash can weigh as much as eight pounds.

Kabocha has an exceptional sweet flavor, even sweeter than butternut squash. It is similar in texture and flavor to a pumpkin and sweet potato combined. Some kabocha can taste like Russet potatoes or chestnuts. The rind is edible although some cooks may peel it to speed up the cooking process or to suit their personal taste preferences. Kabocha is commonly utilized in side dishes and soups, or as a substitute for potato or other squash varieties. It can be roasted after cutting the squash in half, scooping out the seeds, and then cutting the squash into wedges. With a little cooking oil and seasoning, it can be baked in the oven. Likewise, cut Kabocha halves can be added to a pressure cooker and steamed under high pressure for 15–20 minutes. One can slowly bake Kabocha whole and uncut in a convection oven, after which the entire squash, except the seeds, becomes soft and edible, including the rind. Slowly bake whole, uncut Kabocha for 2 hours at 250 degrees F followed by 30 minutes at 350 degrees F.

Kabocha is available all year but is best in late summer and early fall. Kabocha is primarily grown in Japan, South Korea, Thailand, California, Florida, Hawaii, Southwestern Colorado, Mexico, Tasmania, Tonga, New Zealand, Chile, Jamaica, and South Africa, but is widely adapted for climates that provide a growing season of 100 days or more. Most of the kabocha grown in California, Colorado, Tonga and New Zealand is actually exported to Japan.

Happy Cooking,
UB

#chinese #pumpkin #chinesepumpkin #kabocha #stirfry #unclebillskitchen #pumpkinstirfry

I was so excited when I found out my mother received some garden fresh Chinese eggplants. They are sweet and delicious. Beef and Eggplant Stir Fry , 茄子炒牛肉, is one of those warm and healthy dishes I love to make when the vegetables are fresh.

In Chinese cuisine, eggplants are known as qiézi (茄子). They are often deep fried and made into dishes such as yúxiāng-qiézi (“fish fragrance eggplant”) or di sān xiān (“three earthen treasures”). Elsewhere in China, such as in Yunnan cuisine (in particular the cuisine of the Dai people) they are barbecued or roasted, then split and either eaten directly with garlic, chilli, oil and coriander, or the flesh is removed and pounded to a mash (typically with a wooden pestle and mortar) before being eaten with rice or other dishes.

Happy Cooking,
Uncle Bill

#BeefandEggplantStirFry茄子炒牛肉 #beef #eggplant #stirfry #茄子炒牛肉 #unclebillskitchen

Hello! Welcome back to another episode of Uncle Bill’s Kitchen. Here at Uncle Bill’s Kitchen, we really enjoy eating Asian food. Especially Spicy Chinese Food! One of my all time favorites is a well known dish from Sichuan called Mapo Tofu (四川名菜麻婆豆腐). Easy to make and very satisfying, this recipe is sure to be one of your all time favorites. The origin of mapo tofu can be traced to 1862 during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and to a couple surnamed Chen, who ran Chen Xingsheng Restaurant, a small eatery near Wanfu Bridge in north Chengdu. Unpleasantly, the mapo comes from the pock-marked face of Mrs. Chen – ma meaning pock, po meaning elderly woman. Oil porters crossing the bridge would use their stock to save money and ask the Chen restaurant to make them something nice.

Chen Mapo, as she came to be known, had her own unique way of cooking tofu, famous for its pleasant look, smell and taste. Chengdu Records, published in 1909, shows the restaurant’s name was eventually changed to Chen Mapo Tofu Restaurant and listed as one of the 23 most famous restaurants in Chengdu in the late Qing Dynasty. Its flavor, price and suitability with rice meant mapo tofu became a Chinese food staple, spreading nationwide.

The best philosophy for mapo tofu is: The simpler, the better. Even though the ingredients are cheap, mapo tofu is seen as a test of any aspiring chef’s skills.

Courtesy of The World of Chinese, www.theworldofchinese.com

Ingredients:
1/4 lb. Ground Pork
1 Tbsp. Dried Asian Chili Flakes
1/2 tsp. Sichuan Pepper
2 Tbsp. minced Garlic
2 Tbsp. Minced Ginger
1/2 C. Chopped Green Onion
2 Tbsp. Hot Bean Sauce
4 Tbsp. Soy Sauce
40 oz. Soft Tofu (20 if you like it meaty)
4 Tbsp. Mi Gio (Cooking wine)
1 C. Water Corn Starch Slurry
2 Tbsp. cooking oil

See Video for instructions.

#mapotofu #Sicuancooking #sicuanfood #tofu #spicychinesefood