East Meets West

When I first tried the Kabocha (Japanese winter squash/pumpkin), I absolutely fell in love with this kind of pumpkin. Kabocha tastes like a mixture of pumpkin and sweet potato with of a hint of chestnut fragrance; and also, has more depth and texture than regular pumpkin or butternut squash. I like to improvise the recipe with the ingredients that I can find in the market. Kabocha is such a versatile ingredient for Asian, western or even fusion cuisine! Here's my version of Cream of Pumpkin Soup!

CREAM OF PUMPKIN SOUP

(serves 4-5)

1 small to medium Kabocha (Japanese pumpkin), removed seeds, hard skin and diced
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 stalk of celery, finely chopped
6 cups vegetable stock or chicken stock
1 tsp Herbs de Provence
100ml double(heavy) cream/ half & half/ milk
1 tbsp chopped Italian parsley
1 tsp olive oil
Salt & freshly ground black pepper

Croutons (optional)

1. Heat 1 tsp olive oil in a 3.5 qt sauce pan with medium heat. Saute chopped onion and celery until soften. Add in kabocha and herbs de Provence, saute for another minute.
2. Pour in the vegetable stock and bring it to boil. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes until the kabocha and the vegetables are easily to break by the spoon.
3. Remove from heat. Pour the soup in the blender to puree the vegetables in two batches, or use a hand-held blender to puree the vegetables in the pan, until smooth.
4. Return the soup in the pan and bring it to boil. Add cream in the soup, stir well. Season with salt and ground black pepper.
5. Serve in bowls and garnish with Italian parsley and croutons (optional).

Remarks:

• Preparing kabocha:- Half the kabocha with a strong chef knife or cleaver, then, scoop out the seeds and veins with a tablespoon and cut into wedges. Cut the hard skin with knife or peel with a heavy-duty vegetable-peeler. And dice it into desirable pieces.
• Kabocha can be found in Asian markets, gourmet or major chain grocery stores.
• If you can't find the kabocha, you can substitute it with butternut squash.