Kabocha, the Japanese Pumpkin

In Japan it is rare to find what we would think of as a pumpkin. The giant orange vegetable used for Halloween is usually only found in Tokyo around October, sold in a few large stores as a gimmick--the Japanese don't use this pumpkin for cooking. Canned pumpkin is also rare and naturally, so is pumpkin pie. However, there is a species of pumpkin that is immensely popular (especially with the ladies), called 'kabocha'. The very sturdy outer shell is green (even when ripe) and the inside contains a very dense orange flesh with a small amount of pulp. Kabocha is naturally sweet and creamy when cooked. It is not watery at all and has the consistancy of mashed potatoes. Do not compare it to a yam...the texture is much creamier.

The Japanese like to barbeque thin slices of kabocha or use it for tempura. Another popular method of serving this pumpkin is to cube it and simmer it in a mixture of soy sauce, sugar and mirin. Occasionally a cream soup is made from kabocha, which is the method I am demonstrating today. I used the same soup base as I do for cream corn soup--a roux made of butter, milk and chicken stock. The cooked and blended kabocha is added near the end of cooking time, as well as sugar to taste (you don't need much!). This soup is delicious and creamy due to the vegetable itself. As a bonus it is a super source of Vitamin A. If you can find one at your asian grocery shop, I highly recommend it--it's a sure thing the ladies will like it! ^_^

My splurge and my sacrifice

My husband and I do not often buy ourselves treats as a general rule. Money being what it is, we spend it on necessities--rice, milk, eggs...you get the picture. Today, however, was an exception to the rule. Today, was a good day. While purchasing the basics at our local asian shop, we came across a rare sale on Japanese sponge cake sandwiches--that is, swiss roll cake shaped like a sandwich. If you have ever had the pleasure of indulging in a Japanese swiss roll cake, then you will know there is nothing quite like it. The moist and decadent spring of the cake, combined with the rich whipped cream is pure heaven. Sometimes the roll cake is made in sandwich form and wrapped, as you can tell from the photo, in the same packaging as a regular sandwich. It is as convenient to eat as it is delicious. With my craving for chocolate that can rarely be satisfied, we made the splurge and sacrificed a carton of tomatoes. Before you condemn me, have pity in that I do not do this very often. By the way, the cake on the left is coffee (for my husband) and the right is chocolate (for me).

For supper we shared a nabe pot of mushrooms in chicken broth. We had one drumstick each and a cube of tofu in the pot, as well as a bit of daikon radish. Naturally a bowl of rice accompanied this feast. The mushrooms included are enoki, shiitake, shimeji and eringi.

I do feel like I splurged today and I have no regrets in sacrificing the tomatoes. I can say, as I approach a very nerve shaking week, that today at least, was a good day.

Variations on chicken...and some beef

On the lighter side of cooking, we have here a chicken salad with sesame dressing. For those of you who questioned the merits of my deep frying, this is for you ~_^. The chicken is simply poached in water and then sliced. The vegetables can be whatever pleases you or you have on hand. The dressing is a little something my husband whipped up. It contains, among other things, ground up sesame seeds, peanut butter, soy sauce, sugar and miso. It is actually a protein laden dressing that tastes very fresh. I do think it is necessary to use natural peanut butter which contains nothing but peanuts (no sugar, salt, etc). You will be glad you did.

This little dish is lemon chicken. It goes well on a bed of onions and red peppers, but since I did not have either of those on hand, broccoli became the partner. The chicken breasts are lightly dusted with flour and then seared until brown. They are then simmered in chicken broth and lemon juice with dash of salt and pepper. Cornstarch is used to thicken it up near the end of the cooking time. I threw in a bit of garlic as well. If you have fresh lemons on hand, I recommend added some of the zest to the sauce.

I have posted gyudon before, but here it is again--the delightful beef bowl. Who can resist the strips of beef and sliced onion cooked in a salty sweet broth? It is always a treat! The side dish shown above is a spur of the moment thing. It consists of sliced berry tomatoes with pepper cheese. It was melted with a mini kitchen torch.

Now for the record, it is not what you eat, it is how much. I am of the opinion that you can eat any type of food you want....in moderation. Portion size has been ballooned into proportions unheard of in other parts of the world. For instance in Japan, fried food is eaten (ie tempura) but it is not eaten everyday and only one or two pieces at a time. The most tempura I have ever seen served to one person in Japan was four. The vast majority of Japanese people are thin. This I think comes from portion sizes and daily exercise...not in the form a of gym, but rather from everyday walking and biking. They walk A LOT. Goodness knows, A LOT. And did you know that Japanese women love love love their sweets? Cakes, mochi, cookies, you name it! But again, portion size! They don't typically buy entire cakes, but rather, one piece. One piece of cake! Something to think about, isn't it? ^_^