That’s right, it’s another kabocha squash recipe. Our third one within 5 months. “Why?” you might ask. Well for starters, we absolutely love the flavor (as we pointed out a few weeks ago). But they are also fairly large, meaning it is quite easy to get multiple recipes out of a single squash.
This time around we’ve got some baked goods to share. Back when we started working on our idea for a nightshade-free chili recipe (which is still in the works, pending a new source for a key ingredient), Chele wanted some sort of bread or muffin to serve with it in place of traditional cornbread. I don’t recall if it was the very first idea we hit on, but it certainly wasn’t a very long debate before we settled on making some gluten-free kabocha muffins.
A quick internet search turned up this recipe for sweet kabocha muffins. We had something with more of a savory bent to it in mind, but that recipe looked like it would be a solid starting point for us. To give it that savory quality we were after, I came up with the idea of using fresh curry leaf in the batter. While it is most often used as a tempering ingredient in Indian dishes, I had seen a couple of cookie recipes that made use of it that seemed intriguing (and no, it doesn’t taste like curry). This seemed like a good opportunity to try something similar. To make these gluten-free, we selected Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour.
In the end, we found we didn’t need to change much from the original recipe to achieve results that exceeded our expectations. These muffins came out surprisingly moist and fluffy, qualities that are so often difficult to attain in gluten-free baking. They also turned out to have a perfect balance of sweet and savory, the curry leaves proving to be a stellar compliment to the sweetness of the kabocha. These not only went very nicely with our chili, but made a nice side item for breakfast as well. We have made these numerous times since, and they have become our go-to whenever we have half a kabocha leftover from another recipe (which is a common occurrence for us).
Kabocha Squash Muffins with Curry Leaf (Gluten-free)
Ingredients
- ½ kabocha squash seeded and cleaned
- 1 cup Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour
- ½ cup sugar
- 3 Tbs butter (dairy or plant-based) softened
- 3 Tbs avocado oil
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 eggs
- 20 fresh curry leaves very finely chopped
Instructions
- Set up a steamer pot over medium heat. Cut the kabocha into wedges and steam until very tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
- Once squash is cool enough to handle, scrape the flesh from the skin into a large bowl. Mash with a potato masher or fork until smooth. Set aside. (Kabocha may be prepared up to three days in advance. Store covered in the refrigerator until ready to use).
- Preheat oven to 350° F.
- Cream butter in large bowl (this may be done by hand with a whisk, but an electric or stand mixer may produce a fluffier texture. Add the oil and mix until fully combined. Follow that with the sugar, again mixing completely.
- Mix in the eggs one at a time. Follow with the flour, and mix until just combined and no longer dry. Do not over-mix, or your muffins will end up very dense.
- Gently fold in ¾ cup of the mashed kabocha and the chopped curry leaves. Mix just until the batter has fully taken on the orange of the kabocha and little to no white remains.
- Spoon batter into lined muffin tins and bake for 18-24 minutes, or until they pass the toothpick test (i.e. it comes out clean). If using the flour we recommend, the muffins will only brown slightly, so this is not the best indicator of how well done they are.
- Once the muffins have cooled enough to handle, move them from the tin to a wire rack to cool completely. Store covered to prevent them from drying out.
Notes
- Kabocha squash, also known as the Japanese pumpkin, has become increasingly popular in the U.S. recently. They are almost always available at Asian markets, and are becoming a more common sight in mainstream supermarkets. Here in the Chicago area, we know that Mitsuwa, H-Mart, and Tony’s Fresh Market stock them regularly, and we occasionally find them mixed in with other hard-shell squash at Jewel and Meijer.
- Curry leaf is most commonly used in Indian cooking, and should be readily available from Indian grocers. It may also be stocked at some Asian markets and traditional supermarkets that carry a wide variety of “specialty” produce. Look for it near the fresh herbs.
- The flour we recommend for this recipe is the one we have found to provide the best texture and moisture. Other gluten-free flours may also be used, but they may not produce the same results. Those who are not restricted from eating gluten can feel free to swap in an equal amount of standard all-purpose flour.
- For a further twist, try adding some fresh elderberries to the batter (when they are in season).
