This tasty baked squash recipe makes a great starter, although you can always make one large one and serve it as part of a dinner party buffet. You can also steam them instead of roasting them.
Ingredients
- 4 baby squash, about the size of a large grapefruit
- 300ml coconut milk
- 1 thumb-size piece of fresh ginger, finely chopped
- 1 red chilli, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- 8 shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded, caps thinly sliced
- 50g pumpkin seeds, lightly toasted
- 2 tbsp desiccated coconut, lightly toasted
- 2 large free-range eggs
- 1½ tbsp fish sauce (or use ½ tsp fine salt)
Method
- 1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan160°C/gas 4. The trickiest part of this recipe is preparing the squash. You want to create a lid for each squash, so use a small sharp paring knife, hold it at an angle to the chopping board and carefully cut round the top of each squash, cutting out a shallow cone. Use a teaspoon to scoop out and discard the seeds and the stringy fibres. Place the squash in a baking dish and sit the lids beside them.
- 2. Put the coconut milk in a saucepan with the ginger, chilli and garlic, then bring to a simmer. Take off the heat and mix in the mushrooms, pumpkin seeds and coconut.
- 3. Lightly beat the eggs and fish sauce and stir into the coconut mixture. Spoon into the hollowed-out squash. Bake for 25-30 minutes until a skewer can be inserted through the squash flesh easily. Serve hot or at room temperature.
Nutritional info
Per serving (based on 4): 381kcals, 27.2g fat (17.2g saturated), 13g protein, 22.9g carbs, 9.8g sugar, 1.2g salt
Wine Recommendation
A fragrant, exotic New Zealand white is the way to go – try one of the new soft-but-perfumed Pinot Gris.