Kabocha squash croquet

Pumpkin is a common ingredient in the Japanese diet; it encourages vitality and healthy skin and helps the body rid itself of impurities. Kabocha squash croquet is great as a main dinner dish. I use left-overs in my daughter's lunch box the next day.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 lb. Kabocha squash or sugar pumpkin, seeded, cut in 2 inch cubes

1 white onion, finely chopped

1 Tbs. butter

1 Tbs. soy sauce

1 tsp. sugar

1 pinch of sea salt

For frying

2 eggs

1 cup all-purpose flour, in shallow plate

2 cups Panko / Japanese bread crumbs, in shallow plate

    vegetable oil

For dipping (mix together)

1/4 cup ketchup

1/4 cup mayonnaise

Directions:

Spread the pumpkin on a microwave safe plate. Wet a kitchen paper towel with water and cover the pumpkin. Microwave 3 - 5 minutes until tender. Cooking time might be different depending on the pumpkin, so good a bit longer if any hard parts remain. While it's warm, scoop the pumpkin flesh into a bowl and discard the skin. Add soy sauce, sugar and a pinch of sea salt. Mash the pumpkin with a potato masher.

Heat the butter in a saute pan over medium heat, add onion and saute about 3 - 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and let it cool about 3 minutes. Transfer to the bowl with pumpkin and mix. Shat the pumpkin into patties the size of small hamburgers with your hands.

Heat about 2 inches of vegetable oil in a heavy-bottomed pot about 350. Meanwhile, whisk the eggs in a shallow bowl.

Dredge the pumpkin patties in the flour, dip in the beaten eggs, then dredge in Panko, shaking off any excess. Fry the pumpkin patties in the hot oil until lightly golden, 2 - 4 minutes. Do not fry more than 3 patties at one time to avoid the patties becoming soggy due to a sudden drop in oil temperature. 

Transfer to paper-towel lined plate with a slotted spoon. Serve with dipping sauce.