Sweet Kabocha Squash Salad Recipe (Danhobak Salad) (2024)

FAQs

Do you eat the skin of kabocha squash? ›

The kabocha skin is edible. Many Japanese kabocha recipes such as kabocha tempura and simmered kabocha require it to keep the skin on.

Butternut Squash

Though it's drier than the kabocha, it's no less sweet. And like the kabocha squash, the butternut is known for its versatility.

Most people eat them for their flavor, but their texture and dry flesh make them ideal for cooking in stews and curries. If you want to eat them raw, you can dice or grate them into a salad for a nutty, sweet crunch and their bright orange color.

If you eat an excessive amount of kabocha squash, or any yellow or orange fruit or vegetable containing beta carotene, you can develop carotenemia. This is a condition that can cause your skin to appear yellowish or orange. It's harmless, and the cure is simply to cut back on the carotene-containing foods.

Kabocha squash is a low glycemic food.

Eating low glycemic foods can be very beneficial to your health. “A low-glycemic diet can help you control your weight by minimizing spikes in your blood sugar and insulin levels. This is particularly important if you have type 2 diabetes or at risk of developing it.

A squash with soft spots and is soft to the touch, is a sign that the squash has gone bad. And if it starts to leak fluid, that's a sure sign that the squash is spoiled. Likewise, if the flesh and seeds of the fruit are mushy and slimy, that's a clear sign that it shouldn't be eaten.

The liquid is so strong that it can harden into protective scab if the squash becomes cut or damaged—much like a tree. This sap has the same effect on skin, it creates a tough film that can feel stiff, or even itchy.

Kabocha (/kəˈboʊtʃə/; from Japanese カボチャ, 南瓜) is a type of winter squash, a Japanese variety of the species Cucurbita maxima. It is also called kabocha squash or Japanese pumpkin in North America.

The mustard color flesh of the kabocha squash is very sweet and rich tast-ing. Its texture is floury dry, like a balance between a sweet potato and a pumpkin. It has the highest sugar content of any squash, and is excellent baked as a side dish or stuffed. The hubbard squash has a very sweet, dry orange flesh.

What's the healthiest squash? ›

In addition to vitamins A and C, butternut squash is also rich in carotenoid plant pigments and minerals like potassium, magnesium, and manganese. Like acorn squash, butternut squash can be used in both savory and sweet dishes, such as baked goods, grain dishes, and soups.

High in fiber yet low in carbs, the kabocha squash glycemic index is relatively low, which means that it won't spike blood sugar levels to the same extent as high-carb, starchy foods or added sugars.

Kabocha squash

Like actual pumpkin, it's low in calories and rich in fat-fighting beta-carotene. Plus, the fact that the skin is totally edible means that kabocha is packed with belly-filling fiber, too. Rather than roasting it, try steaming slices of the squash.

Hard Squashes

You should store summer squash (like zucchini) in the fridge, but thick-skinned squash like acorn, butternut, or kabocha should stay at room temperature.

Divide the slices among the baking sheets, drizzle with the olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and roast for 25 to 30 minutes, flipping halfway, until golden brown and tender. (Note: the skin should be tender and it's edible too.)

But with thicker, gnarly-skinned squash, "obstacle" is the perfect word to describe the skin. We recommend peeling kuri, kabocha, or butternut. It's just going to be more pleasant to enjoy the soft, sweet squash sans-skin. Life is already tough.

Acorn (Figure 2) and kabocha (Figure 3) squash can be harvested when their ground spot (the part of the fruit laying on the ground) turns a dark-orange color, although some research indicates they can be harvested even sooner without loss of quality and may be more resistant to storage diseases.