Trying to shift your mentality of “I can’t have it because I can’t buy it in Japan” to “I’ll make it myself!” is hard. Really hard. For example, let’s take my recent discovery of how topurée kabocha to substitute for pumpkin purée/canned pumpkin in American recipes. Kabocha and pumpkin have different textures. Pumpkin has more water content, so mashing and processing boiled or baked pumpkin (something I might have phoned my mom about in grad school) results in a texture like thick applesauce. Mashed kabocha is more like mashed potatoes.
Trying to substitute mashed kabocha for canned pumpkin does not work. This is what I was told, and it’s true. But that doesn’t mean you can’tpurée it by adding water and blending.
I know, I know. How the hell else do you make purée? I make applesauce at home; I don’t have any excuses for this oversight.
I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not “naturally talented” at cooking, or, for that matter, anything I do well. (Forget grad school and imposter syndrome, in high school I read that chapter on the French Revolution for AP European History three times before I had it all straight!) The skills I have now are things for which I had to work really, really hard, because what I’m actually “gifted” in is being intense.
My personal shortcomings aside, forget spending money at the import store on canned pumpkin this autumn, and use this recipe to go as crazy with the “pumpkin” recipes as the Americans and Canadians are this fall. Don’t know where to begin? Don’t worry, I’ve already been working on some Japan-friendly “pumpkin” recipes so we can all be Mr. Autumn Man, too. Let’s do this.
Squashes like kabocha and Hubbard squash tend to be drier than pumpkin and butternut. If the squash is already very wet after cooking it, try blending or processing it with just a small amount of water first (about 60 mL/[1/4 US cup]) and do the spoon test (pictures above, description below) to see if the consistency is right before adding more water. For drier squash, a 1:2 water (mL) to squash (grams) ratio works well.
Yields and Measurement Information 500 grams (17 oz.) kabocha yields about 625 g /2.5 cups purée
Approximate purée weight by volume: 250 grams (8.8 oz.) = 250 mL by volume (1 US cup)
Ingredients ~500 grams (17 oz.) kabocha (かぼちゃ, 南瓜) Alternatives: butternut squash (batâ nattsu kabocha, バターナッツ南瓜), Hubbard squash (hâbado, ハバード; kanryû kabocha, 甘龍南瓜), or any other variety of orange squash in the species Cucurbita maxima, Cucurbita moschata, Cucurbita pepo, etc.
Water for cooking (depends on method), plus 100-250 mL (3/8-1 US cup) cooking water reserved for puréeing
Equipment Blender (mikisâ, ミキサー) OR food processor (fûdo purosessa, フードプロセッサ)
For baking: a glass, metal, or ceramic pan, 20×20 cm (8×8 in) (or larger, depending on what fits in your oven or oven range) For boiling: a large pot
Procedure
Baking 1. Preheat (yonetsu, 予熱) the oven to 200° C (400° F). 2. Wash the squash. Leaving the skin on, cut the squash into large pieces that fit in the pan without overlapping (quarters or eighths usually work). 3. Place squash in the pan with the skin up. Add water to the pan so that the bottom is covered with about 1.5 cm (1/2 in) of water. 4. Bake the squash for about 45-60 minutes or until tender. Let cool. 5. After the squash is cool enough to handle, remove the peel. (A spoon helps scrape off the flesh from the peel.) Break into small pieces and put in the blender or food processor with 100-250 mL water, or as needed. 6. Purée the squash. The consistency should be smooth but more like baby food than paste. If you take a spoonful of thepurée and turn it sideways, it should mostly fall off, not stick. Add water and blend to adjust consistency as needed.
Boiling 1. Set a large pot of water to boil. 2. Wash the squash. Cut into small chunks and remove seeds, stringy bits, and peel. 3. Boil until tender (10-30 min, depending on the size of the pieces). Remove squash and reserve water for puréeing. 4. Add to blender/food processor with 100-250 mL of the reserved cooking water, as needed, andpurée the squash. The consistency should be smooth but more like baby food than paste. If you take a spoonful of thepurée and turn it sideways, it should mostly fall off, not stick. Add water and blend to adjust consistency as needed.
Storage Store in an airtight container or plastic bag for 3-5 days in the refrigerator or up to 3 months in the freezer.
Butternut squash on the other hand is always silky smooth and sweet, and it matches the consistency of canned pumpkin puree well enough to be a reliable one-to-one substitute.
Kabocha squash, with its sweet flavor and versatile texture, can seamlessly substitute pumpkin in a variety of dishes. It enriches meals with a rich, creamy consistency and adapts well to an array of spices, including cinnamon, enhancing both savory and sweet recipes.
The kabocha squash is also referred to as the Japanese pumpkin. Naturally sweeter than butternut squash, the bright yellow flesh of the kabocha is denser than traditional pumpkins—a cross between a sweet potato and a pumpkin, if you will.
Butternut, buttercup, honeynut and acorn squashes are all suitable substitutes. Each of these types of squash has a similar texture to pumpkin and some natural sweetness. To substitute these squashes for pumpkin, prepare them as you would pumpkin for fresh pumpkin puree: clean, roast, puree in a food processor.
Canned pumpkin (labeled as "100% pure pumpkin") is a purée of pumpkin that is sometimes mixed with other kinds of winter squash. It is unsweetened and does not contain any added spices. Canned pumpkin and pumpkin puree are the same thing, and you'll often see the terms used interchangeably in recipes and cookbooks.
It resembles kabocha squash but can be distinguished by a round ridge on its bottom. Buying and storing: Choose a squash that's heavy for its size and has even coloring. Avoid squashes with blemishes, soft spots, or dull skin. Buttercup squash can be stored in a cool, dry place for up to three months.
Because it contains less water than many squash, kabocha responds better to oil, especially when roasted with butter or fried as tempura. The flesh absorbs fat in a way that enriches flavors without turning greasy.
Because of their size, hubbards are often sold in seeded pre-cut chunks, making the squash more appealing to home cooks. Hubbards are slightly tear-shaped with dark green to pale grayish blue skins and remarkably sweet flesh with a clear pumpkin flavor.
In all fairness, it depends on the cultivar of pumpkin, but texture-wise both would be fairly similar. Taste, however, will differ. Just as different types of butternut squashes have different flavors, so do the different types of pumpkins. Some are more savory, some are more sweet.
Kabocha squash are notable for their dark green skin, with white speckles or streaks, along with its bright orange flesh and firm, dry texture. The flavor is remarkable, and among the sweetest of all squash and pumpkins. The texture is sometimes compared to that of a sweet potato.
Roast raw potatoes whole to concentrate their sweetness and soften their flesh so that you can use them 1:1 in place of pumpkin. Be sure to purée the roasted flesh before adding it to pie filling or bread batter. For canned sweet potatoes, drain the cubes and rinse before puréeing and using.
Why Is Canned Pumpkin So Hard to Find? In a nutshell, there are two reasons: weather and demand. "Due to wet, cold weather conditions during planting, we started harvesting a little later than usual this year," says Noelle Perillo, manager of brand public relations at Nestle (where Libby's pumpkin is made).
I'd never been a big fan of pumpkin pie until then, but there was just something about the texture and flavor that convinced me that making my own pumpkin puree was worth the extra effort—and as it turns out, it isn't much effort at all. I've been pureeing my own pumpkin ever since.
As it turns out, some canned pumpkin purée is actually made from one or more types of winter squash, like butternut, Hubbard, Boston Marrow, and Golden Delicious. So then, why might the label say “100% pumpkin?” The USDA is actually pretty lenient with its distinction between pumpkin and squash.
Nothing or a huge difference, depending on your definition! A pumpkin is a type of squash (cucurbita pepo species) so you can call them either name. Interestingly, a lot of people buy pumpkin in a can or pumpkin pie but a long time ago the commercial guys switched to a different species of squash called butternuts (c.
Butternut squash is sweeter than pumpkin when cooked, and caramelizes nicely when roasted in the oven, making it delicious as a topping for oatmeal, roasted with your favorite lean protein, or stuffed with quinoa and veggies.
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