Kabocha salad, a bento lunch box classic

A colorful alternative to potato salad. This version is very crunchy and the taste of Summer kabocha is incredibly fruity and sweet.

The base is kabocha pumpkin, steamed and mashed.

With a sour seasoning.

Cucumber and nagaimo (raw yam) as garnish. I cut cubes and added to the mix. Let half a day in the fridge.

Serve chilled. It can be stored 2 or 3 days in the fridge, so you get the carotene loaded side dish for a few meals or as a lunch box item.

Kabocha cardaman. Ready in 5 minutes. (via GiO)

I’ve called these small buns cardaman as they have a fragrance of cardamom. And they are made on the model of butaman (Japanese for meat-filled Chinese steamed bun).
I’ve used buckwheat to give a season taste. And inside, kabocha pumpkin. What is wonderful is they are IN 5 MINUTES.
And they are delicious… Read more

Rosemary kabocha-spa (via Gourmande in Osaka)

Spaghetti are hugely popular in Osaka, many shops sell only that and there are many versions with Japanese ingredients. I have seen this post Pasta con Zucca e Pomodoro/Pasta with Pumpkin and Tomato Sauce on the blog Dulcis in Furno, and that was very tempting. That seemed to be ideal for Japanese kabocha pumpkin. Dices of kabocha pumpkin, simmered with tomato paste, onion, garlic, olive oil… …and rosemary. On hot spaghetti al dente… That m … Read More

via Gourmande in Osaka

Hijiki spag’ (via Gourmande in Osaka)

Hijiki spaghetti is one of those fusion Japanese pasta recipe. Hijiki is this kind of seaweed. You can buy them fresh, or dried. If you never had them, I'd say they don't really taste of the sea. You'd think they could be mushrooms. I simply simmered them a little with water, soy sauce and a little brown sugar. On top of spaghetti, quicly stir-fried in olive oil with garlic. A little lemon on top. Pan-fried kabocha pumpkin. No flavoring. Pan frie … Read More

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Whole chick couscous (via Gourmande in Osaka)

A hot Winter couscous and its veggies. As incredible as that sound, that's already March and this is my first couscous of the year. Wholewheat couscous, a few raisins. Shiitake mushrooms, tomato paste, okra, kabocha pumpkin, garlic… Lots of chick peas. The sauce is spiced with a curry mix, herbes de Provence, cumin and harissa. Mmmm, hot harissa. … Read More

via Gourmande in Osaka

Soupe du jour : avocat fantaisie (via Gourmande in Osaka)

The daily soup is a mix of veggie, creamed by avocado. As usual, quick, simple, cooked and raw. Cooked : broccoli stalks, kabocha pumpkin skin (as flesh was used). Steamed : shishito Raw : lime flesh and juice, mizuna leaves, natural sea salt All that in the blender. Then decorate… A (steamed) shishito (lion pepper). A sweet pepper. Avocado, coated with lime juice. A butterfly of red sweet pepper and the skin of the lime. That was delicious. I … Read More

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Soupe du jour : potiron (via Gourmande in Osaka)

A soup a day, and Winter is okay. Today, it's pumpkin. It's another raw-cooked. Half a soup, half a smoothie. Kabocha, broccoli stalks and leaves, daikon radish, yellow bell pepper. So yummy combination that it didn't even need salt or anything. When it's hot, it gets very bubbly… … Read More

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Cooked, raw, cawked ?! (via Gourmande in Osaka)

Eat raw to keep all the vitamins, eat cooked for digestibility and flavor ? I think we need of both everyday. The renewed old veggie soup. Steamed a basket of leftover : the greens of the cauliflower, leek hard leave, chunks of kabocha pumpkin. Juiced : orange bell pepper, spinach leaves. Assembled. The color is naturally like that. Parsley, salt. Raw mushroom, baby shiso, argan oil, salt. And home-made chutney. My chunky ume plum chutney Cal 307 … Read More

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Slow rice : okowa in kabocha (via Colorfood Daidokoro Gourmande in Osaka)

That's funnier than simply using your rice cooker… Okowa means steamed sticky rice, usually with "gu" (toppings). There are "classic ones" : kuri-okowa, with chestnut. kinoko-okowa with mushroom. I have twisted the recipes by steaming them inside kabocha pumpkins and using raw chesnuts (instead in syrup ones for most recipe). The day before : rinse and soak mochigome (Japanese sticky rice). Also soak dry shiitake mushrooms. Empty a few bochan k … Read More

via Colorfood Daidokoro Gourmande in Osaka