Bochan kabocha, Thai style

Bochan kabocha, little boy pumpkin…
The Japanese name “kabocha” meant Cambodge, Kampuchea, well they could repeat it, because that plant probably came from there. Of course, it’s also popular in Thailand where they prepare custard in steamed pumpkins. This way, with my little personal adaptations…

Empty the squash, let about 1 cm of flesh.

Prepare custard with egg, coconut cream and brown sugar (Okinawa’s kurozato). The “cream” can be obtained by opening a can of coconut milk, and letting it a few hours in the fridge. The cream will float above the liquid. I put about 1/2 cream, 1/2 eggs.

Place the kabocha in a steam basket, on a sauce-pan of water. I put a few more blocks of sugar in it. You will see it on the next photo, the sugar will melt into a syrup/caramel.

Steam 20 to 40 minutes, till the kabocha’s flesh is soft and the custard solid.

When it’s cool, refrigerate a few hours.

And cut in wedges. Everything can be eaten together, the custard, the orange pumpkin flesh and the green skin.

The rest of custard was cooked in micro-wave. That doesn’t make a regular shaped pudding as you see. You can probably do it in a classical oven, by immersing the kabocha in a dish of hot water.