Kabocha Squash Salad
かぼちゃのサラダ · Kabocha no Sarada
By Aoi, licensed nutritionist · From a Japanese preschool lunch menu
Kabocha, the sweet, dense Japanese pumpkin, is a favorite in preschool kitchens because its natural sweetness wins over even reluctant vegetable eaters. Here it is cut into small cubes and tossed, still warm, with a splash of vinegar so the flavor soaks right in, then folded with blanched onion and cucumber and a mild egg-free mayonnaise. The trick is to keep the cubes whole rather than mashing them, which gives a fluffy, not watery, salad that children can pick up easily with a spoon or fork.
Added. Open the recipe helper (bottom right) → ☰ Menu → 🛒 Shopping list to see the ingredients for your family size.
Printing uses the number of adults and children set under Ingredients, so set those first.
Ingredients
Amounts for 1 child (1 serving). An adult counts as 2 servings.
One serving here is 1.5× the portion served to a child in a Japanese preschool, sized for Western appetites. An adult counts as two servings. Tap an ingredient to check it off.
Ingredients
- 52.5 gkabocha squashSweet, dense Japanese pumpkin with dark green skin and orange flesh. Substitute: Butternut squash or another sweet winter squash.
- 9 gonion
- 7.5 gcucumber
Seasonings
- 0.6 gvinegar
- 6 gegg-free mayonnaise (Mayodore)A Japanese egg-free mayonnaise-style dressing. Substitute: Any egg-free or vegan mayonnaise.
- 0.2 gsalt
- to tastepepper
About the Japanese ingredients in this recipe
- kabocha squash (かぼちゃ)
- Sweet, dense Japanese pumpkin with dark green skin and orange flesh. Substitute: Butternut squash or another sweet winter squash.
- egg-free mayonnaise (Mayodore) (マヨドレ)
- A Japanese egg-free mayonnaise-style dressing. Substitute: Any egg-free or vegan mayonnaise.
Directions
- 1
Trim away only any blemished parts of the kabocha skin, then cut the squash, skin on, into 1.5 cm cubes. Cut the onion in half lengthwise and slice thinly. Cut the cucumber into half-moons.
- 2
Boil the kabocha, drain it in a colander, then return it to the pan and dry-toss it over the heat to drive off excess moisture. While it is still warm, add the vinegar and stir gently, taking care not to mash the cubes.
- 3
Boil the onion and cucumber separately, then rinse under running water to cool.
- 4
Squeeze the onion and cucumber from step 3 to remove excess water, then toss with the kabocha from step 2 and the seasonings.
Mashed kabocha turns the salad watery, so stir gently and keep the cubes intact. Boil the onion a little longer than you might expect, until it loses its crunch, so that no sharpness remains.
Nutrition
| Per | 1 serving | 1 adult serving | Your total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 78 kcal | 156 kcal | 78 kcal |
| Protein | 1.4 g | 2.7 g | 1.4 g |
| Fat | 3.6 g | 7.2 g | 3.6 g |
| Carbohydrates | 12.3 g | 24.6 g | 12.3 g |
| Fiber | 2.1 g | 4.2 g | 2.1 g |
| Salt equivalent | 0.3 g | 0.6 g | 0.3 g |
| Calcium | 15 mg | 30 mg | 15 mg |
| Iron | 0.2 mg | 0.3 mg | 0.2 mg |
| Potassium | 256.5 mg | 513 mg | 256.5 mg |
| Energy | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Fiber | Salt equiv. | Calcium | Iron | Potassium | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 78 kcal | 1.4 g | 3.6 g | 12.3 g | 2.1 g | 0.3 g | 15 mg | 0.2 mg | 256.5 mg |
| 1 adult serving | 156 kcal | 2.7 g | 7.2 g | 24.6 g | 4.2 g | 0.6 g | 30 mg | 0.3 mg | 513 mg |
Values are per serving (1.5× the Japanese preschool portion); an adult serving is double. They were calculated by a licensed Japanese nutritionist using the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan. "Salt equivalent" is sodium × 2.54, the standard Japanese measure. Allergen flags cover egg, milk and wheat only and come from the nutritionist's records. Soy sauce and miso are made with wheat but are usually allowed on Japanese wheat-free school menus, so check with your doctor.
