Oh, hey kabocha. You delicious lil thing, you. Continuing on with the delights from the Japanese farmers market. Will it ever end? I hope not.

Kabocha is a winter squash, but it’s often called Japanese Pumpkin. I remember seeing it occasionally in the states.  Additionally, a kabochayarou is a man with an unattractive, unusually-shaped face. Yay! Fun Japanese words!

The recipe:

• 1 tsp ghee or coconut oil
• ½ inch piece of ginger sliced
• 4 leaves Kaffir lime leaf (omit if you don’t have)
• 2 lemongrass stalks-pounded
• 1 onion-chopped
• 1 bell pepper-chopped
• ½ Kabocha squash- steamed and diced (or another winter squash)
• 1 pound Asparagus or another veggie you like
• ½ cup Coconut milk
• 2 tbsp Soy sauce
• ½ tsp Sriracha or 1 chili pepper
• 2 tbsp Fish sauce
• 2 cups homemade fish stock (or water)
• 1 tbsp Shikuwasa juice (or lime)
• 1/2 cup cashews blended into flour
• ¼ cup chopped basil for garnish
• ½ cup chopped cilantro for garnish

Heat oil in pan; add onions, lemongrass, lime leaf and ginger. Stir until onions are almost translucent. Add fish stock (or water), coconut milk, kabocha, asparagus, bell pepper, cashew flour, soy sauce, fish sauce, shikuwasa juice, and sriracha. Bring to a boil then simmer for 10 minutes on low. Serve with basil and cilantro over jasmine rice. It soaks up the curry better than sushi rice.

Pitta-omit the Sriracha/chili

Kapha- use ¼ cup of coconut milk and omit the cashews