Various Ways to Process Squash

We loved eating desert during fiestas, birthdays and other special occasions. Even during ordinary days we loved eating between meals, it has become a common habit among us. Squash is a good snack rich in Vitamin A and contains calcium, phosphorus and iron. This becomes attractive snacks for the young when served in different ways. Below are various ways to process squash.


SQUASH CUCHINTA
Materials:
1 cup mashed boiled squash
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup all purpose flour, shifted
1 cup water
1 teaspoon lye (dissolved)

Procedure:
1.Dissolve the sugar in water and boil, allow to cool.
2.Add the flour little by little.
3.Add the squash, keep on stirring until it becomes fine in texture.
4.Shift.
5.Add the lye, stir.
6.Put the mixture in molds, with allowance of a little space from the rim.
7.Cook in double boiler for 20 minutes.


SQUASH MAJA
Materials:
1 cup cornstarch
3 cups coconut milk (second extraction)
1 cup coconut milk (first extraction)
1½ cups squash, boiled and mashed
1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Procedure:
1. Mix cornstarch and 1 cup coconut milk (second extraction).
2. Mix the 2 cups more.
3. Add coconut milk (first extraction), squash, sugar, and vanilla. Mix thoroughly and pass through a sieve.
4. Cook over low fire, continually mixing until it becomes thick.
5. Put in molds, let cool.
6. Put “budbud” on top when served.

To prepare budbud: 1/3 cup sugar for every 1 cup coconut meal. Roast in carajay until golden brown.


SQUASH JELLY
Materials:
1 cup mashed boiled squash
1 cup mashed boiled gabi
½ cup white sugar
1/3 cup condensed milk
1/4 tsp.vanilla
2 tbsp.butter
1 tbsp.butter for lining molds

Procedure:
1. Sieve the squash and gabi until a fine paste is attained.
2. Mix them together with sugar.
3. Cook in low fire, continually stirring to prevent scorching.
4. When thick, add condensed milk and vanilla, keep on stirring until the desired consistency is attained.
5. Add the butter, keep on stirring until the surface is smooth and glossy.
6. Line the inside walls of the molds with butter, then…
7. Put the mixture in the molds.


SQUASH MACAROONS
Materials:
½ cup butter
4 eggs
1/3 cup white sugar
½ pack dessicated coconut
2 tsp.vanilla
3/4 cup grated squash

Procedure:
1. Cream the butter until light and fluffy.
2. Add the sugar gradually while stirring.
3. Add eggs one by one constantly stirring after adding each eggs.
4. Add the condensed milk.
5. Add the dessicated coconut, squash, vanilla, and mix well.
6. Put in muffin molds lined with paper or aluminum foil.
7. Cook in oven at 350°C for half an hour.


KALCOSUMAN (Squash Suman)
Materials:
½ cup malagkit rice
2 cups grated squash
1½ cups ordinary rice
1/3 cup latik
3/4 cup coconut milk (second extraction)
1½ cups sugar
banana leaves
string

Procedure:
1. Soak overnight: rice and malagkit and grind on the following day.
2. Soak the ground rice and malagkit in coconut milk until soft.
3. Add the sugar and squash.
4. Cook over low fire, constantly stirring until thick. Cool.
5. Prepare the leaves for wrapping by heating over low fire. Brush the leaves with butter.
6. Put two tablespoonful of the mixture in every wrap, put latik on top of each before closing.
7. Tie with string and cook for half an hour in a double boiler container.

Source: FNRI-DOST


KALABASA PAN DE SAL
Materials:
12% flour from squash
88% ordinary flour
yeast, salt (pinch), oil and sugar as in ordinary bread

Procedure:
1. Melt the yeast in warm water and leave it for 8-10 minutes.
2. Mix together: squash flour, ordinary flour and oil. Beat with a Hobart mixer (Speed 2) for 6 minutes while adding sugar and salt. Leave it for one-half hour.
3. Knead the dough and roll to form pieces of pandesal.
4. Put in oven and cook like ordinary bread.

Source: NSDB Completed Researches


SQUASH CORN CHIPS
Materials:
Squash Oil
Corn flour Sugar or salt
Flavoring

Procedure:
1. Peel the squash, cut into fine pieces.
2. Steam and grind.
3. Mix squash and corn flour in the following proportions:

• 7 parts squash (70%)
• 3 parts corn (30%)
  

4. Add flavoring and sugar (or salt).
5. Steam for 15 minutes.
6. Pass through a noodle machine at 1.2 cm.chips.
7. Dry the resulting chips on a forced draft at 65°C-70°C for 2½ hours. This will last for six weeks if packed in plastic bags and ten weeks if packed in laminated packs.

Source: R&D Completed Projects DOST
Source:elgu2.ncc.gov.ph, photo courtesy of www.landcareresearch.co.nz