Comments on: Kalabasa / Winter Squash

By: allen

allen — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 09:16:58 +0000

My family loves squash! I cook it with sitao and okra, sometimes I add coconut milk. I don’t put it in pinakbet though. The kids like them mashed and mixed in with hot rice. I sometimes add some boiled squash with mashed potatoes. My personal favorite is ukoy with squash dipped in vinegar and chopped shallots.

By: Marketman

Marketman — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 12:15:30 +0000

Hi Cindy and Joy, both kalabasa and pumpkin are considered “winter squashes” or better described as squashes with harder skins and which keep for quite a while. There are dozens of different winter squashes including kalabasa, kabocha, butternut squash and pumpkins…they differ in fiber content, stringyness, sweetness, water content, intensity of flavor, etc. but they are somewhat similar… depending on how you use them, they can sometimes substitute for each other…a pumpkin soup, for example seems to work well with our kalabasa because of the the addition of spices, cream and the fact that it is pureed and blended. However, a roasted butternut squash with some butter and say cinammon tastes better to me than our kalabasa cooked in the same way. Summer squashes include say zucchini, yellow squashes, etc. and these are not as hardy as winter squashes and seem to have a much higher water content. Last October I came across some western style pumpkins which were grown locally by the Dole company…I had a post on them here. I cooked some of these pumpkins into an agrodolce dish which was essentially a sweet and sour treatment…they were pretty good…

By: Joy

Joy — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 11:59:57 +0000

Hi MM,

I agree with Cindy. I’m confused between the pumpkin and the kalabasa. Are both the same? As I can find both here in Jakarta but usually I make butternut squash soup more often than i do with pumpkin. Pumpkin pie is great too hehe. thanks for your info in advanced.

Joy.

By: Maria Clara

Maria Clara — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 23:16:31 +0000

Sauteed kalabasa with young kalabasa talbos with shripm and bagoong is fabulous. This version holds well too with the addition of virgin coconut milk for extra layer of flavor!

By: cindy

cindy — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 17:19:23 +0000

Pardon my ignorance Marketman, but could you explain the difference between kalabasa (squash) and pumpkin? Do we have pumpkins in the Philippines? And could “pumpkin soup”, which is served in restaurants here, be made using kalabasa? Thanks! :)

By: corrrine

corrrine — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 10:14:14 +0000

My absolute favorite…kalabasa! For such vitamin packed vegetable, it’s sad that it was given a negative meaning as in “nangalabasa” or “kalabasa in class”. Is it because it is slow to grow or seems to be left behind by its stem due to its heavy weight?…hmmm. My kids and I love squash soup with a little cream and croutons!

By: millet

millet — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 00:27:06 +0000

yes, marilou, ukoy kalabasa is a favorite in my house, too. iput chopped spring onions in the batter for falvor and color contrast. we also love cream of squash soup, and anything with kalabasa. MM, i’ll be watching for your pinakbet recipe -it’s something i can’t do properly. my friend’s ilocana cook does a very good pinakbet that it’s the most requested dish during potlucks.

By: Marilou

Marilou — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 22:19:32 +0000

My grandma used to make ukoy with grated kalabasa and topped with whole unpeeled shrimps. I had all but forgotten about it until your post. She used to make a mean pinakbet too. I sure miss her cooking. Thanks!