Baby Food: Japanese Winter Squash

I recently did an entry on Kabocha (Japanese Winter Squash), sharing my simple simmered kabocha recipe.  Kabocha is one of my favorite vegetables and I was eager to introduce it to my baby.  As much as possible, I’m trying to make her babyfood with organic ingredients.  I was pleased to find organic kabocha at Star Market (Mililani, Hawaii).

Be aware that the kabocha, like many other squashes, is very hard to cut. Make sure you use a sharp knife and cut it on a stable surface to prevent injury.  (I don’t want to hear about how you lost a finger trying to cut your kabocha!)

Here’s what the kabocha looks like cut it in half.

Using a spoon, scrape out the seeds and stringy bits.

Then, using a vegetable peeler, peel off skin completely.  When preparing the kabocha for adults, it is preferable to leave the skin on as it gives it a nice texture and holds everything together when simmered.  However, for babyfood, peeling is essential.

After the skin is peeled, cut the kabocha into 1″ cubes.

Steam the squash to cook.  I used my Beaba Babycook machine to prepare the babyfood. In the machine, it took approximately 15 minutes to cook.

When cooked, the kabocha should be very tender.  I test it by piercing it with a chopstick.

Puree the kabocha in a food processor, adding water to achieve the desired consistency.

When complete, I pour the babyfood into Baby Cubes (BPA-free!) and covered ice trays to freeze.  The covered ice trays are especially handy, as you can freeze the food, then store them in ziploc bags and they don’t take up as much space in your freezer.

My baby’s reaction to kabocha babyfood was instant love. The natural sweetness of the kabocha makes it very palatable for babies and it has become one of her staples.  I’ve been adding a couple of baby spoonfuls of sweet peas to her kabocha and she eats it without a fuss.  Thumbs up for the kabocha babyfood ~ Baby Champuru approved!