[0 - 1] - Hello there, welcome to my kitchen.
[2 - 3] My name is Andrew.
[3 - 4] And in this video, you're going
[4 - 7] to see me cook 30 pounds of pumpkin.
[7 - 9] This is part of a continuing series on the channel
[9 - 12] where I make a large amount of one type of produce.
[12 - 14] It started as just a fun challenge,
[14 - 17] but it's become an exercise that I've really grown to enjoy
[17 - 20] because it forces me to look at the same ingredient over
[20 - 22] and over again in quick succession,
[22 - 24] looking at it through the lens of different dishes
[24 - 27] and learning things about ingredients
[27 - 29] that I previously never noticed.
[29 - 31] There's something so fun about a pumpkin.
[31 - 36] The way it looks, this orange, just big a hard rock
[36 - 37] that lives on the ground.
[37 - 39] And I've always been curious,
[39 - 41] what are other ways that you can eat pumpkin?
[41 - 43] So I've already made the dishes
[43 - 45] and now I'm gonna take you through how that experience went.
[45 - 48] The first pumpkin thing I made is pumpkin pie
[48 - 52] and I made pumpkin pie using fresh pumpkins and processing
[52 - 53] and roasting them myself.
[53 - 55] And actually referenced the technique
[55 - 59] from the Tasty 101 series, how to make the perfect pie.
[59 - 62] So for this pie, I actually used this type of pumpkin.
[62 - 64] When I purchased it, it was called a pie pumpkin,
[64 - 67] so I think that was kind of perfect.
[67 - 69] But they're also sometimes called the sugar pumpkins.
[69 - 73] I begin by splitting the pumpkin, carving out the seeds
[73 - 76] and then slicing them into wedges and dry roasting them
[76 - 77] at a high temperature.
[78 - 79] While that was going on, I made my crust.
[79 - 83] I'm not a very skilled baker and baking is renowned
[83 - 86] for its precise measurements and specificity,
[86 - 90] but a pie crust is something where it also takes a bit
[90 - 94] of finesse and intuition to know,
[94 - 95] is the butter crumbled enough?
[95 - 97] Have I overmix it?
[97 - 98] Are my hands getting too hot?
[98 - 102] I run very hot, so I was very nervous that I was just going
[102 - 104] to melt this stuff between my hands.
[104 - 106] So I was just hoping for the best.
[106 - 109] I rolled out my crust, very stressful process,
[109 - 112] fitted it into my pie dish and then par-baked it
[112 - 116] with some old dry beans that I have as a pie way.
[116 - 118] Then it was a matter of making the filling.
[118 - 119] So I took the roasted pumpkin.
[119 - 122] I was looking at the top of this pumpkin wondering
[122 - 123] when it was gonna get roasted,
[123 - 125] but all along it was the bottom.
[125 - 128] But I think this is sort of where you wanna take pumpkin to.
[128 - 130] When you're roasting it from fresh to sort
[130 - 134] of develop the natural sugar that's in this gourd.
[134 - 137] So I separated the skin from the flesh of the pumpkin
[137 - 140] and then processed it in my blender, along with cream.
[140 - 142] Then used the typical pumpkin spices.
[142 - 146] Allspice, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, eggs, vanilla,
[146 - 149] and a mixture of white and brown sugar.
[149 - 152] So back to the crust, I removed the beans
[152 - 154] and let the crust bake for a little bit longer.
[154 - 156] Once it got to a good place, I took it out, let it cool
[156 - 160] for a moment, and in went the pie filling.
[160 - 163] And baked it off first at a high temperature
[163 - 165] and then at a lower temperature until it was set.
[165 - 169] And I gotta say, the color of this roasted pumpkin,
[169 - 171] I don't know, there's something very special
[171 - 174] about this sort of mahogany finish.
[174 - 177] So I let the pie cool, in fact, overnight.
[177 - 178] And unfortunately it split,
[178 - 181] which I don't know the exact cause of.
[181 - 183] It tastes great nonetheless.
[183 - 186] I really liked pumpkin pie because it's something
[186 - 189] that you could really eat at any time of day.
[189 - 192] When it's not too sweet, it sort of falls
[192 - 195] in a unique category that I really enjoy.
[195 - 197] The next dish I made was hobakjuk,
[197 - 200] which is a Korean pumpkin porridge.
[200 - 202] And I referenced the recipe from Maangchi.
[202 - 204] You can see it on her website or her YouTube page.
[204 - 207] And for this dish, I actually used a kabocha squash,
[207 - 211] which is related to pumpkins and other winter gourds.
[211 - 214] It's actually what Maangchi recommends as an alternative
[214 - 217] to the sort of pumpkin that you might use traditionally
[217 - 218] for this dish.
[218 - 223] So once my kabocha was split, deseeded and portioned
[223 - 226] into wedges, I added this to a large pot with water
[226 - 228] and simmered for about 15 minutes.
[228 - 231] In Maangchi's recipe, she also adds some mixed beans,
[231 - 234] which I started soaking a few hours previously.
[234 - 238] In the meantime, I started working on the little rice cakes
[238 - 239] that would go in the porridge at the end.
[239 - 242] Sweet rice flour or glutenous rice flour,
[242 - 246] as it's sometimes referred, with some hot water added to it,
[246 - 250] and then kneaded together until I had a homogenous dough.
[250 - 252] I set this aside to rest for a few minutes.
[252 - 256] So once that it rested, I portioned it out,
[256 - 260] rolled it into a little tube and broke it off
[260 - 263] into little pieces, which I worked into little spheres.
[263 - 266] And then in Maangchi's version, she actually adds pine nuts
[266 - 269] to the center to be like this little nut surprise
[269 - 271] in the center of your rice cake.
[271 - 274] So once the squash was soft, I pulled the pieces out
[274 - 277] and removed the skin before returning it to the pot
[277 - 278] so that it could all be mashed together.
[278 - 280] Next we season, return it to a simmer
[281 - 283] with the appropriate amount of water added back.
[283 - 286] Then the rice cakes are added to the porridge itself,
[286 - 289] along with some additional rice flour mixed with water
[289 - 290] to thicken the porridge.
[290 - 293] Once the rice cakes are floating, they're done.
[293 - 293] And that was it.
[294 - 296] I really enjoyed this dish.
[296 - 299] My biggest surprise tasting this dish was
[299 - 303] how nice it is tasting something that is comprised
[303 - 305] of just one flavor, pretty much.
[305 - 308] I think my instinct is always to wonder,
[308 - 311] okay, were there aromatic simmered at the start?
[311 - 314] Was there a certain flavorful stock added to make it?
[314 - 317] But this porridge shows that you can make something complete
[317 - 320] and satisfying with just one thing
[320 - 323] when that thing is really good and delicious.
[323 - 326] It was very comforting and warm,
[326 - 329] and the little rice cakes were really a delight to eat.
[329 - 331] The next dish I made was calabaza en Tacha,
[331 - 334] also saw this dish called calabaza en dulce,
[334 - 337] but it's essentially Mexican candied pumpkin.
[337 - 340] And for making this dish, I referenced a recipe
[340 - 343] from Mely Martinez in her cooking blog
[343 - 344] "Mexico in my kitchen."
[344 - 346] Many of the recipes that I saw suggested
[346 - 348] that it was most traditionally made
[348 - 351] with a pumpkin variety called calabaza de Castilla.
[351 - 352] I couldn't find this exact pumpkin,
[352 - 356] but I was able to find a very similar pumpkin.
[356 - 357] Not sure exactly what it was
[357 - 359] because it was just labeled pumpkin,
[359 - 361] but it may very well be this other variety
[361 - 363] called a fairytale pumpkin.
[363 - 366] So I started by dissolving these piloncillo cones,
[366 - 369] which are essentially unrefined cane sugar.
[369 - 374] I put these in a pot with cinnamon, orange slices and water
[374 - 376] until those cones were dissolved.
[376 - 379] And essentially the pumpkin just simmers away in this syrup
[379 - 384] for 20, 30 minutes, maybe more just until
[384 - 385] that flesh is tender.
[385 - 388] And then remove the pumpkin from the pot and set those aside
[388 - 392] while I reduced the liquid in that pot so that it was more
[392 - 393] of a syrup consistency.
[393 - 395] Then the pumpkin returned to the pot
[395 - 398] to just sort of be glazed and coated in this syrup.
[398 - 399] And that was pretty much it.
[399 - 401] This was really good.
[401 - 406] It's very nice to have the pumpkin coated in this syrup,
[406 - 409] but still have this sort of pure pumpkin flavor
[409 - 411] in the center of a chunk.
[411 - 413] In the recipe I referenced, Mely suggests eating it
[413 - 417] in a bowl of warmed milk, which I could not pass up.
[417 - 420] And to me, this was the best.
[420 - 423] Just this sort of natural level of sweetness
[423 - 426] in the milk over this very sweet chunk of pumpkin.
[426 - 431] This recipe definitely gets the best smell infused
[431 - 433] into my entire home award.
[433 - 436] The next dish I made was an Afghan pumpkin dish
[436 - 437] called Borani Kadoo.
[437 - 440] And I referenced a recipe from Miriam,
[440 - 442] on the website Afghan Cooks.
[442 - 443] There's also YouTube channel.
[443 - 447] Like with every dish, there's a lot of variation in technique.
[447 - 450] I noticed that sometimes the pumpkin was fried at the start,
[450 - 452] sometimes ginger was present or not,
[452 - 454] sometimes there were chilies.
[454 - 456] I referenced this one because I was interested
[456 - 459] in this overall technique and combination of flavors.
[459 - 462] So in researching this dish, most people mentioned
[462 - 464] that the classic pumpkin that you might find
[464 - 466] in Afghanistan is not gonna be readily available.
[466 - 468] Lots of people sub in butternut squash,
[468 - 471] or suggest using some other sweet winter squash.
[471 - 474] So I chose to use the rest of my kabocha
[474 - 476] that I used previously with the hobakjuk.
[476 - 481] I then cut the kabocha into small, thick, manageable planks.
[481 - 484] So the pumpkin is essentially simmered in a sauce,
[484 - 485] so first we have to make the sauce.
[485 - 487] And I started by sautéing an onion,
[487 - 492] and then making a combination of minced ginger and garlic.
[492 - 495] That gets sauteed together, added some green chili,
[495 - 497] added some tomato paste, which I allowed to cook
[497 - 500] in the bottom of the pan before adding some fresh tomato
[500 - 502] and letting that all simmer together.
[502 - 505] Then added the spices cumin, coriander and turmeric.
[505 - 508] As well as some salt and let that all cook together
[508 - 510] for 15 minutes or so.
[510 - 513] When the sauce was looking nice, I added the kabocha chunks.
[513 - 516] So after 20 minutes or so, the pumpkin was tender
[516 - 518] and then it was time to plate.
[518 - 521] Miriam has a yogurt sauce in the recipe as well.
[521 - 524] A little bit of that on the bottom, piled up my pumpkin,
[524 - 527] then drizzled some more yogurt on top to complete the dish.
[527 - 530] And this was so good.
[530 - 533] The general technique of simmering some vegetable
[533 - 536] in a flavorful sauce is so powerful,
[536 - 539] but the combination of the earthiness of this squash,
[540 - 543] the gentle sweetness of it, along with all these spices
[543 - 547] and the combination of cool dairy with something spicy
[547 - 550] and hot, one of the best.
[550 - 553] The last dish I made was camarao na Moranga,
[553 - 558] which is a Brazilian shrimp stew stuffed pumpkin.
[558 - 560] And for making this dish, I referenced a recipe
[560 - 563] from the website Olivia's Cuisine.
[563 - 566] This is actually something that I've had before in Brazil,
[566 - 568] a bunch of years ago.
[568 - 570] And when I was thinking about making this video, I was like,
[570 - 573] you know, how many things can you do with pumpkin?
[573 - 578] And then I remember, oh yeah, I had this dish in Brazil.
[578 - 579] I can't wait to make this.
[579 - 584] And to start, I removed the top, scooped out the insides.
[584 - 587] I then made a mixture of onion and garlic
[587 - 589] with just a little bit of oil, which I rubbed
[589 - 591] all over the inside of the pumpkin
[591 - 595] before closing it back up, wrapping it in foil
[595 - 598] and then roasting it in the oven until a bit tender.
[598 - 601] To make the filling, I first marinated the shrimp
[601 - 605] in some lime juice and salt, and then briefly sauteed them,
[605 - 607] then removed those from the heat
[607 - 609] and then cook the aromatics, which were onions and garlic,
[609 - 612] and then tomatoes, as well as some bell pepper.
[612 - 614] And then added some flour, which will serve
[614 - 616] to thicken the stew later.
[616 - 620] And then some cream and milk, and then added back the shrimp
[620 - 624] along with all of its juices, as well as some cilantro.
[624 - 628] So once the pumpkin was tender, I actually used a spoon
[628 - 632] to sort of scrape up some of the tender flesh to mix
[632 - 635] in the bottom of the pumpkin with a bit of cream cheese.
[635 - 639] So this is one of the elements that's very difficult to recreate.
[639 - 641] Brazil has very particular dairy products.
[641 - 643] In particular, this cheese called
[643 - 644] (Andrew speaking foreign language).
[644 - 647] This is one of those things where to recreate it,
[647 - 649] it's not the exact ingredients that I'm looking for,
[649 - 652] but rather a combination that will achieve
[652 - 654] a similar final flavor.
[654 - 657] And then the finished stew is filled into the pumpkin.
[657 - 660] And then finally topped with a bit of Parmesan cheese
[660 - 662] before going back in the oven to just sort
[662 - 665] of heat everything together and melt that cheese.
[665 - 666] And that's it.
[666 - 670] A giant pumpkin filled with a shrimp stew.
[670 - 673] And let me tell you, this is so good.
[673 - 678] It's such a beautiful combination of dairy and pumpkin,
[678 - 681] like these warm comforting flavors.
[681 - 684] And then shrimp and lime juice and garlic,
[684 - 686] these like exciting flavors.
[686 - 688] It's really something else.
[688 - 691] And the effect of looking at a full pumpkin filled
[691 - 694] with a shrimp stew cannot be understated.
[694 - 695] It is so good.
[695 - 697] So that's how I cooked 30 pounds of pumpkin.
[697 - 699] Thank you for joining me on this very fun
[699 - 700] and delicious experience.
[700 - 703] I hope you learned something, I certainly did.
[703 - 704] And if you have any recommendations on what I should make
[704 - 710] in the future, please suggest in the comments. (gentle music)