Do I need to peel a red kuri squash?
I was just preparing red kuri squash for a soup, and as usual during preparation I snacked some pieces. The skin did not seem very thick and I took a bite of a piece with some left on it. While it was a bit harder than the skin of an apple, it wasn't really that hard.
I hope keeping the skin might lead to a darker color of the soup, which I'd prefer. I am not that concerned about pieces left, when I eat alone I don't mind pieces, when I cook for more than myself I would blend the soup before serving.
Assuming it has been washed and is from an organic farm, do I need to peel my squash?
Best Answer
Most Japanese varieties of pumpkin do not need to be peeled. More precisely, most Japanese are content to eat most Japanese varieties of squash unpeeled (maybe rough peeled where knobs are present). I can't really recall treating red kuri any differently, but I don't find it very often, so I can only speak from limited experience.
The typical preparation of any squash in Japan is nimono, in which squash pieces are gently simmered with kelp, soy sauce, mirin, sugar and salt until tender. The regular kuri variety (the green one with some occasional knobs) is well suited to this, but is even accommodating of being deep fried or roasted skin-on, and I've used that variety for soup and other preparations with the skin on. I would be surprised if red kuri weren't at least suitable for nimono skin-on, as I don't think the Japanese market would be particularly accepting of a squash that you would have to skin.
There is, for what it's worth, a site that suggests that the skins are harder on red kuri than normal kabocha varieties, and that the skins are not eaten. And the same site says that regular Japanese kabocha skin is not eaten, so they appear to disagree with basically all of Japan.
At least one soup recipe in Japanese for the red kuri squash says that the skin should be left on.
Anyway, the short answer would be: Try it and see. The worst possible outcome is a texture that you're not fond of, or perhaps some bitterness.
Pictures about "Do I need to peel a red kuri squash?"
Quick Answer about "Do I need to peel a red kuri squash?"
Preparing Red Kuri Squash Red Kuri squash are difficult to peel, so they are almost always cooked with their skin on. You can cook them whole or halved, or sliced into wedges or cubes. Don't waste the seeds -- scoop them out and toast them like pumpkin seeds.How do you peel a red kuri squash?
After a gentle scrub under the faucet, the squash is ready to cut\u2014there's no need to peel it. Besides contributing color and nutrients, the skin helps the vegetable hold together better when cooked.Do you need to peel squash?
Getting into The Thick (and thin) of it Technically, all winter squash skin is edible. "It's just a question of texture. There's no danger in consuming the skin\u2014some just taste better than others," says Romano.Can you eat the skin on squash?
Health Winter squashes (pumpkins) and red kuri squashes have a high water content, like all vegetables in the gourd family, and are rich in provitamin A (beta-carotene). This vitamin favors iron metabolism, tissue health, night vision, immunity, and growth.Cutting a Red Kuri Squash
More answers regarding do I need to peel a red kuri squash?
Answer 2
I don't have experience with this specific squash, so perhaps someone with direct experience can give you a better answer; googling indicates it is a thick skinned or winter squash similar to a pumpkin.
As a thick skinned squash, it is normal to peel it (or to scoop the roasted flesh from the peel), because as you note, the peels are tougher.
They are edible, so it is an aesthetic and palatability judgement on your part. In fact, if you google pickled pumpkin rind, you will find many recipes for pickling that squash's skin, which can probably be used for the red kuri as well.
Answer 3
Yes, you can eat the skin. This squash is also called Hokkaido pumpkin in Germany, and most of the recipes say to keep the skin on. Made a great soup from it.
Answer 4
Keep the skin on. It gets soft when baked or cooked. If you prepare a soup of the Kuri/Hokaido pumpkin you can puree the soup with the skin. One less step to take in preparation.
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Any Lane, Ryutaro Tsukata, Any Lane, Any Lane