In Singapore, the feasting never seems to end, especially at this time of year. We have scarcely a month to pare down before we feast yet again. And plant food, or salads, is still the way to go, if one wants to watch the fat levels.
The trouble with a salad is that it is, well, rabbit food, as some would put it. They dislike it for the precise reasons why I like it - for its crunch, its lightness on the stomach and its green tastes. So for those out there who hate their salads green but still want to opt for salad meals to prepare for the inevitable feasting ahead, I have this roasted butternut pumpkin salad that is as full-bodied as it is healthy. I serve it often for lunch and love the sweet caramelisation that roasting brings out from the vegetable or, more strictly, this fruit.
To cut the sweetness, I top the roasted vegetable with raw onions that have been pickled in lemon juice
and salt - and fresh green chillies, for a very Singaporean bite. And since these are salad days, I may change the
seasonings a little, add a few more ingredients and I get a Mediterranean or even a Thai roasted pumpkin
dish for other meals. And what more really can you ask from a pumpkin?
Butternut pumpkin is not strictly a pumpkin but a squash, though it is known as a pumpkin in Australia
and is treated as such. Squash and its many varieties originate from Mexico, while pumpkins come from other parts of South America. Whatever, butternut is the sweetest of that family of vegetables.
Less known is the fact that pumpkin is a good source of fibre, vitamin C, manganese, magnesium
and potassium, and is also an excellent source of vitamin A. In cooking terms, it is lovely in soups, braises, grills or even stir-fries.
Indeed, one of my favourite pumpkin stir-fries is to top it with crunchy bits of salted fish to give a salty
bite to the sweet vegetable. As for that Mediterranean pumpkin, I would add
balsamic vinegar to roasted pumpkin and top it with crumbled ricotta cheese and some torn basil leaves.
To obtain a pumpkin with Thai flavours, I use fish sauce instead of salt as seasoning, and finish off with
a scattering of roasted peanuts and toasted dried shrimp on top.
And there you have it, salad options that are full of rich flavours and yet, still make a salad.
Roasted pumpkin salad for four as a main course
1 purple onion
Juice from half a lemon
1 medium-size butternut pumpkin,
about 1kg
12 cherry tomatoes
Salt
Pepper
Olive oil
2 green chillies
Method
Heat oven to 200 deg C.
Peel and slice onion. Squeeze lemon juice over the sliced onions. Add a pinch of salt to season and leave aside.
Cut butternut pumpkin in half and peel, using a potato peeler. If this proves difficult, you can first soften the gourd by microwaving it for a few minutes on high.
Cut pumpkin into large cubes, about 2cm square. Add two tablespoons olive oil, one teaspoon salt and pepper to taste, and mix well to coat.
Place marinated pumpkin and cherry tomatoes on a baking tray and roast for 30 minutes or so, till caramelised and burnt in parts.
To serve, place roasted pumpkin and tomatoes on a plate, top with pickled onion rings and its juice and sliced green
chillies. Add a swirl of olive oil to finish.
I suggest that you eat it on its own, but it is equally good as an accompaniment for roasted meats.
