Posted on: Wednesday, March 16, 2005
Healthy kabocha soup rich in flavor, color
| • | Puree delight |
| • | French pureed soups classic, sophisticated |
By Wanda A. Adams
Advertiser Food Editor
The idea for this recipe came from those tasty chunks of steamed kabocha served as pupu in Japanese taverns, and from an Okinawan kabocha stew recipe from "The Okinawan Diet Plan" (Clarkson, Potter; 2004) that is a favorite in our house. I merely took the ingredients common to these dishes — pumpkin, water, shoyu, a little oil, and bonito flakes — and used them to make a soup.
Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser Kabocha is a good, low-fat, source of fiber, vitamins A and C, and contains significant potassium and some iron, too.
The great thing about kabocha for the purposes of making a creamed soup is that it almost melts when it's cooked in liquid. Though I did put the cooked kabocha through a medium-coarse sieve in order to get the smoothest possible mouth-feel, you don't need to do that; just stir and mash.
The flavor of this soup is delicate, the texture — if you take the time to sieve the pumpkin —Êis like a silk kimono and the color is gorgeous. If you are not concerned about sodium in your diet, use dashi — stock of katsuoboshi (bonito flakes), kombu (sea kelp) and water — instead of plain water, but it's not necessary. You could also use chicken or vegetable broth. However, I wanted a soup that would showcase the flavor of kabocha and be somewhat healthful.
As a variation, make this dish with pumpkin or other winter squash, sweet potato or Japanese red kuri squash. Swirling a little plain low-fat yogurt or nonfat sour cream into the soup after it's in the bowl adds a piquant flavor contrast. My husband thinks the soup would make a good sauce for baked tofu.
Serve this as a first course for an Asian-themed company dinner. Or have it for a weekday dinner with a salad and some good bread.
Kabocha soup
Microwave whole, unpeeled kabocha pumpkin 5 minutes. Quarter pumpkin and scrape out seeds and strings. Place kabocha in microwave-safe dish with enough water to cover the bottom of the dish; cover with plastic wrap and microwave 8 minutes.
Meanwhile, place sesame oil in a saucepan, warm over medium heat; turn heat down to low and add minced onion. Cook onion until limp and translucent; do not allow onion to brown.
Remove kabocha from microwave and cut meat away from skin; scrape away any remaining dark strings. Place kobocha in saucepan with sesame oil and onion and stir in 2 cups water, bonito flakes, shoyu and mirin. Cook, stirring, over medium heat for 20 minutes. Puree kabocha and return to pot to heat through. Add additional water if needed.
Makes 4 servings.
• Per serving: 90 calories, 3.5 g total fat, 0.5 g saturated fat, 0 cholesterol, 135 mg sodium, 13 g carbohydrates, 3 g fiber, 9 g sugar, 3 g protein
Kabocha, widely available in grocery stores, is a pumpkin-shaped squash with striped or blotchy dark green skin and a rich, sweet flavor and a rather dry texture that relaxes when it's cooked with a bit of oil.
Serve kabocha soup as a first course for an Asian-themed dinner. Or have it for a weekday dinner with a salad and some good bread.
