Sweet Pumpkin with Nutritious Rice
Nutritious Glutinous Rice Stuffed in a Whole Sweet Pumpkin
A masterpiece dish made by steaming glutinous rice inside a whole sweet pumpkin! Enjoy this delightful meal.
Ingredients
- Glutinous rice (cooked)
- 1 whole Sweet Pumpkin
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
First, wash the sweet pumpkin thoroughly. To remove the stem, carefully insert a knife straight down into the stem area and twist to create an octagonal shape, then lift it out. Scoop out all the seeds and stringy bits from the inside of the pumpkin, ensuring it’s clean. This prepares the pumpkin for steaming.
Step 2
Generously fill the hollowed-out sweet pumpkin with the pre-cooked nutritious glutinous rice. (Tip: For convenience, cook a larger batch of nutritious rice ahead of time, freeze it, and then thaw it before using). Add about one cup of water to a steamer pot, place the filled pumpkin inside, and steam it. If you have a multi-steam function, steaming it twice will make it extra tender.
Step 3
Place the pumpkin in the steamer and cook until the filling and pumpkin are tender. Adjust the steaming time based on the steamer’s pressure and the size of your pumpkin.
Step 4
Once the sweet pumpkin is about 80% cooked, remove it from the steamer and transfer it to an oven to finish cooking. This step helps to reduce the moisture inside the pumpkin, resulting in a fluffier texture and enhanced flavor. (Bake in a preheated oven at 201°C for about 20 minutes). This double-cooking method ensures the pumpkin is wonderfully soft and the sticky rice inside is perfectly chewy and delicious. Furthermore, the flesh of the pumpkin will slightly separate from the rind, allowing you to enjoy the pumpkin flesh right down to the rind without eating the rind itself.
Step 5
Carefully take the steamed and baked pumpkin out and slice it into four equal portions using a knife. You’ll see the pumpkin is packed with nutritious rice and is beautifully tender. Doesn’t the sticky rice look appetizing? Since we used pre-cooked rice, the overall cooking time isn’t excessively long.
Step 6
The Sweet Pumpkin Nutritious Rice is best enjoyed warm. Serve it with a side of kimchi or some tangy pickled vegetables for a delightful contrast. The subtle sweetness of the pumpkin and the chewy texture of the rice create a fantastic combination. Just one-quarter of this dish is quite filling, making it an excellent and satisfying meal.
