Sweet Coconut Pumpkin with Pandan Leaves is a traditional I-Kiribati recipe for a dessert of kabocha squash cubes stewed in sweetened coconut milk until tender. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic I-Kiribati version of: Sweet Coconut Pumpkin with Pandan Leaves.
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This recipe is all about the Kabocha pumpkin. The skin of these smallish gems are mostly green and with a flare of orange. You’ll find them all over Asia and Oceania, including the islands of Kiribati. Technically they’re a squash – like butternut but are often colloquially referred to as pumpkins, particularly in Oceania. The inside looks just like the vibrant orange of a butternut so they're great for adding a pop of colour to a meal, as in this dessert version.
To prepare the squash/pumpkin, cut in half and remove the seeds. Cut each half into strips then peel the strips before cutting into cubes.
Tie about 5 pandan leaves (actually leaf strips) into in a knot (you can add more to taste). You can often find them in the frozen section of Asian markets. The pandan leaves give the most haunting flavour to sweets – absolutely indescribable (at best I’ll say they are sweet, green and soft – floral and intoxicating the way a good vanilla extract can be – but yet so, so different), but once you’ve had it you can detect it in just about anything.
Now, add pumpkin and pandan to a medium-sized pan with a steady stream of coconut milk and a heavy sprinkling of sugar. Cover and simmer gently for 20 minutes or until the kabocha pieces are tender.
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