I love hash browns! The best kinds are crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside. Mmmm… But to achieve that texture, I know I need to use quite a bit of oil or butter. On Saturday morning, I was contemplating if I should make some potato hash when I saw my half Kabocha sitting in the fridge. My first thought was, Kabocha? Really? But being an adventurous cook and a Kabocha lover, I decided to give it a try. If you haven’t had Kabocha before, it is a sweet squash versatile in both savory and sweet dishes. One of the best qualities I like about it is its chestnut texture. Not only that, it is super good for you, with loads of beta carotene, iron, vitamin C, potassium and so on.

So for this recipe, you don’t need to julienne/grate the Kabocha because it’s a hard squash AND you don’t peel the skin because it adds a nice texture once it’s cooked. All you have to do is slice up your Kabocha wedges really thin so it can be cooked quickly. Pretty simple, right?

The result is really flavorful with garlic and green garlic. I had to withhold myself from eating the whole thing. Something about the sweetness and chestnut texture just really hit home for me. And to compliment this Kabocha hash recipe, I added a secret ingredient for seasoning. Homemade salted eggs!

First of all, have you had salted eggs before? It’s basically fresh eggs brined in salt and water and then hard boiled. The eggs will taste slightly salty unlike bland hard boiled eggs. The saltiness makes these eggs a great condiment to rice, vegetables (especially kale), and in this case, Kabocha hash! The eggs in this recipe were made by my mom last time she visited San Francisco (we used chicken eggs instead of the commonly used duck eggs). Fortunately, she walked through each step with me when she was making it, so now I can make my own batch of salted eggs. I will share this recipe when I make it again. You can always use plain hard boiled eggs, but make sure to add salt after you chopped up the eggs, otherwise the eggs will get lost in the flavorful Kabocha hash.

One other note, did you know that Kabocha is also available year round? Unlike other vegetables and fruits, after it’s harvested, it continues to grow! You can store it in your house for a while until it is fully ripened for maximum flavor.

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Garlicky Kabocha Hash (Yield: 4 servings)

Level:   (easy to hard)

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Tools:

• 1 Large pan with lid
• 1 Chopping board and knife
• 1 Spatula
• Measuring spoons

Ingredients:

• ½ Kabocha squash sliced thin with skin on*
• 2 stalks of green garlic roughly chopped* (you can substitute with green onions, too. Green garlic has flat leaves while green onions have rounded leaves)
• 3 cloves of garlic roughly chopped*
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil*
• Salt and pepper to season
• 2 salted eggs or regular hard boiled eggs roughly chopped*

*Organic

Instructions:

1. Scrub the skin of kabocha with water to remove any dirt.
2. Cut it open and remove the seeds.
3. Cut half kabocha into 3-4 large wedges. Then thinly slice each wedge (1/4” thick). Save the other half by wrapping with plastic wrap and refrigerate for later.
4. Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat, sautee garlic and green garlic for 1 min.
5. Toss in kabocha slices, let them sizzle for a minute before you pour 1 tablespoons of water and cover for 3-4 minutes.
6. Remove lid and turn kabocha slices over. Cook for another 5 minutes until it’s brown on the edges.
7. Season with salt and pepper and remove from pan.
8. Mix in chopped eggs before serving.

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