Scribbles & Munch

      In case you haven't figured it out yet, I love Japanese culture, and for me that includes a lot of Japanese foods.  Not all--I still haven't wrapped my head around umeboshi (pickled plums).  But I love the unique flavor palate used in Japanese cooking, and the different textures.  Which is why, a couple weeks ago, I decided to forgo my usual European breakfast breads in favor of a dense steamed cake made with Kabocha squash.

It may look like every other squash, but only this one can be used for this kind of steamed cake.

      Kabocha squash (usually labeled "Japanese Pumpkin" in Asian markets here in the U.S.) looks like a cross between an Acorn squash and a Cinderella pumpkin.  The outside is mottled greyish-green, and the inside is a vivid orange color.  What's unique about it is the starch content.  I have yet to find any squash in North America that is so starch heavy--almost like a Garnet yam.  But the flavor is unmistakably gourd-like, so don't try substituting yams in this recipe!
      The prep work is in cooking the Kabocha.  The final part - mixing, molding, and steaming the cake - is pretty fast, and has wonderfully little clean up.  So my version of this cake is a two parter: some to do the night ahead, and some to do in the morning while your caffeine is steeping.  Then you have tasty, different, and pretty cake on your winter breakfast plate!

Sorry the lighting is so bad, but all you see is four orange rounds, two tomatoes, and a scrambled egg.

Z.D.'s Steamed Kabocha Squash Breakfast Cake

Ingredients:
Half of one regular size Kabocha squash
2 Tablespoons AP flour
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 tsp (heaping) ground ginger
1 Tablespoons coconut sugar (or 2 tsp brown sugar)
1/2 tsp miso paste (any color)
2 egg yolks
1 Tablespoon water

Directions:
 - The night before, pre-heat your oven to 375º F.  Cover a baking sheet with a piece of aluminum foil, and grease it lightly with either canola or refined coconut oil.  Place your half a squash cut-side down on the foil, and roast for 40 - 50 minutes, until flesh is very mushy.

 - Meanwhile, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, ground ginger, and sugar in a small bowl.  Cover and set aside.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients, set aside.

 - Remove squash from the oven and allow to cool slightly.  Add to bowl with egg mixture, and mash until all in combined in a thick, smooth paste.  (Alternatively, pitch all of this in to the food processor and purée the heck out of it.)  Cover and refrigerate over night.

So yes, if your batter looks like orange mush, you're doing it right.

 - In the morning, remove the squash mixture from the fridge.  Pour about two inches of water into the bottom of a large pot with a fitted steamer basket and lid, and set over high heat.  Lay out a makisu sushi mat, and lay a square of clean, damp muslin or similar dishtowel over the top.

This is pretty stiff dough, so just mush it into a bit of a log shape and then roll away!

 - Add your dry ingredients to your squash mixture, and stir until thoroughly combined.  The dough with be stiff and heavy.  Turn it out onto the damp muslin and spread into a rough log.  Using the sushi mat as a guide, roll the muslin over the dough and compress into an even cylinder.

All rolled up like a squash sausage.  Or, dare I say it, a squashage!

 - When your water is boiling, remove the sushi mat but keep your dough wrapped in the muslin.  Tuck the edges around, and lay your dough in the steamer basket.  Put on the lid, and reduce the heat to medium.

My steamer basket wasn't wide enough to lay this on it's side, but the fact that it didn't bend just proves how stiff the dough turns out when compressed.

 - Steam the cake over simmering water for 8-10 minutes, or until slightly firm to the touch.  Remove from the basket and allow to rest 5 minutes before removing the wrap.  Slice into thick rounds, and serve!

There you have it.  Stiffer than mashed potatoes, but more dense and tender than regular cake.

      This will have a dense, tender texture sort of like very smooth polenta, or a pudding cake.  Serve it with tea (I like it best with green) and fresh fruit.  If it reminds you of Thanksgiving you're not alone, because my spouse says the same thing.  But when the weather outside is dreary, we enjoy the warm flavor and vibrant color, and we hope you will, too!