Living in Thailand and having to order my vegetables in Thai makes me very comfortable with the Thai names and sometimes I do need dear Google’s help to get the accurate name in English.
I did the same for this green vegetable belonging to the family of pumpkins. In Thai we all know it as “Fak Thong” – which literally translates to “golden pumpkin”, because of its inner golden-ish skin. Unfortunately, that word does not exist. Instead, its actual name in English is Winter squash.
To anyone who has been to Thailand or who lives in Thailand, this name is very bemusing. We are so accustomed to the never-ending summers here and so winter really doesn’t seem to fit well. Nonetheless, this vegetable is very much a staple in our diet. We use it often as a side dish as well as in desserts. From here on, I will be referring to the winter squash as Kabocha (which is a Japanese name for the winter squash and more commonly known).
Now that I have cleared the air about its name, let me shed light on the qualities instead. Its biggest quality is its exceptionally natural sweetness combined with rich nutrients. Kabocha is very much recommended for baby’s first solids, and is often steamed and pureed.
This recipe is also a great baby meal option for an additional array in flavours and to trigger sensory towards texture via food. I sometimes add minced pork with this right after the garlic but below mentioned is a vegetarian variation of the same.
The beauty of this dish is that it goes with just about anything – rice or congee. I tried pairing it with buttery couscous, which also paired together beautifully!
Ingredients for pumpkin stir fry:- (serves 4)
- 1 tbsp cooking oil
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 350gms winter squash (Kabocha or ฟักทอง)
• 1/2 cup sliced white onion
• 2 beaten eggs
• 2-3 tbsp thick mushroom or oyster sauce (according to taste)
• 1 tbsp soya sauce
• Pinch of black pepper
• 1 tsp chopped spring onion
• 1 cup water or stock
Recipe:
- Peel and cut the kabocha into bite size.
- Heat oil in a wok, add garlic and stir-fry for 2 minutes.
- Add the white onions and sauté till you see a change in colour.
- Drop the kabocha into the pan and pour in some water to soften its texture. Cover lid. (Add water in small amounts and stop adding once you are satisfied with the texture. Some like it mushy and melt in the mouth kinds, some like it a little bit crunchy).
- Remove lid. Add in all the seasoning prepared. Mix ingredients well.
- Shift all the ingredients to one side of the pan and tilt the pan so all the remaining water flows to the empty side.
- Pour in the egg (onto the water) and let it sit for a minute. Once the egg starts to set, scramble it well with your spatula.
- Once again, mix all the ingredients in the pan.
- Garnish with fresh spring onions just before serving.
Enjoy!