Mashed Pumpkin with Cucumber and Egg

I always loved how Japanese or Korean cuisines have this little side dishes that goes with every meal. Whether it’s the pickled stuff or a cold dish. This recipe was created by my true-blue Japanese friend (below). I asked if I could share this in my blog. I have made this several times ever since and I still love it.

This dish is best eaten cold cause it might look rather soggy at room temp. She told me she made this quite by accident. She had intentionally wanted to have chunky pumpkin bits but she boiled it for too long and it became soft. I suppose it worked out for the best too. I steamed the pumpkin instead of boiling it because you don’t want so much water content.

This side dish is definitely on the clean, cooling and healthy side. I don’t know if I can call this really authentic Japanese but everything about does feel that way. 🙂

MASHED PUMPKIN WITH CUCUMBER AND EGG RECIPE

Ingredients;

A cup of chopped pumpkin
A hard-boiled egg, cooled down
1 Japanese cucumber, de-seeded and diced to small cubes
Japanese mayo
Salt
Black Pepper

Steps;

1. It’s best to do this a few hours before intended eating time for it to chill in the fridge.
2. Steam the pumpkin till they’re soft.
3. As much as you can, dry it on paper towels but don’t smash them or squeeze them.
4. Using a fork, mash the pumpkin into a thick paste. Chop up the hard boiled egg roughly and add it to the pumpkin.
5. Add some Japanese mayo but not too much, just eyeball the texture and taste. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Lastly, add the cucumber to the mix. Chill it in the fridge for at least half and hour.
7. Just before serving, sprinkle more of the chopped cucumber on the surface.

Enjoy!