Ginataang Kalabasa – Kabocha Squash in Coconut Milk
Creamy coconut milk is tinged a shade of yellow in this easy Filipino recipe for squash and shrimp simmered in coconut milk. This is my “macaroni and cheese,” with rice and tender kabocha squash assuming the roles of pasta and cheddar.
As with most comfort foods, ginataang kalabasa has countless variations. Other ginataan recipes call for fermented shrimp paste (bagoong) and fish sauce (patis), but for squash and shrimp, my preference lies with milder seasonings.
recipe adapted from Gerry G. Gelle’s Filipino Cuisine: Recipes from the Islands
Weekend Herb Blogging hosted by Kalyn’s Kitchen
Ginataang Kalabasa at Hipon
Kabocha Squash and Shrimp Simmered in Coconut Milk
makes 3 to 4 servings
The butt end of kabocha squash.
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 garlic cloves, lightly smashed
1 small onion, diced
1 cup chicken broth or water
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon pepper, or to taste
1 small kabocha squash or any winter squash varietal, about 1 to 1 1/2 pounds
1/2 pound shrimp, shelled and deveined
2 1/2 cups coconut milk (12 to 14 ounce can)
Instructions:
- Peel and seed the squash. Slice into 1 to 1 1/2-inch chunks.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a wide skillet over medium heat. Saute the garlic and onions until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add the chicken broth or water, salt, pepper, and squash pieces. Bring to a boil and lower the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook for about 15 minutes, or until the squash is fork-tender but still firm.
- Add the shrimp and cook for about 2 minutes.
- Add the coconut milk and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes while stirring. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
Ginataang kalabasa at hipon (squash and shrimp simmered in coconut milk)
To Serve:
Serve immediately with rice.
Similar Posts
November 2nd, 2008 at 1:12 am
I’m starring this to make at some point. It looks really good. I can’t remember if I have coconut milk in my pantry…
November 2nd, 2008 at 5:10 am
Oh, I love squash in coconut sauce! It is such a great combination…
Cheers,
Rosa
November 2nd, 2008 at 5:43 am
squash and coconut, together at last.
November 2nd, 2008 at 7:41 am
This sounds like such a wonderful combination, great recipe. I haven’t had this particular type of squash but have been wanting to try it.
November 2nd, 2008 at 10:13 am
Oh that sounds wonderful…must bookmark this one!
November 2nd, 2008 at 12:20 pm
This is one of my favorite vegetable dishes, Jude! Ah, kulang na lang sitaw!
(well, at least in our house… But I would never turn away something that looks this delicious, especially with the huge shrimp on top!)
November 2nd, 2008 at 5:19 pm
I always pick out the squash and shrimp when I have ginataan gulay. Great idea just serving them on their own. So true about calling this your mac & cheese; it’s Filipino comfort food.
November 2nd, 2008 at 6:18 pm
wow so comforting … looks better than mac n cheese =D
November 2nd, 2008 at 8:13 pm
Jude, that is an exceptionally attractive dish.
November 2nd, 2008 at 8:41 pm
I should have known better to come your blogsite with an empty stomach. This looks mouth-watering!
November 2nd, 2008 at 11:19 pm
I saw this last night and wanted to try it with the kabocha we had in the pantry. I checked today and I saw the squash already had mold, so we threw it out. Sayang!
November 3rd, 2008 at 2:03 am
this is one of my favorite filipino dishes! yumyum! thanks for sharing the recipe..=)
November 3rd, 2008 at 2:28 pm
This is one of my favorites as well, though I do like it with long beans too!
November 3rd, 2008 at 5:11 pm
Jude This is so similar to one of the dishes cooked in the Eastern part of India from I am from. We use bottlegourd & shrimp & cumin for spice. It is also subsituted with squashes. Reminds me of back home.
November 3rd, 2008 at 7:48 pm
This looks so delicious! I always forget not to look at food blogs when I haven’t eaten for a few hours. I always end up ravenous!
November 3rd, 2008 at 11:47 pm
I’m a big fan of coconut. I’m sure I’ll give this recipe a try one day. It looks mouthwatering!
November 10th, 2008 at 9:59 pm
Manggy, Marvin – I knew I was going to get called out for omitting the sitaw. Forgot to put it on the grocery list:) Not bad without it though.
Js – I hate it when that happens.
Soma – I think I have that recipe you’re talking about. I remember it using some sort of hard-to-find squash
March 24th, 2009 at 9:09 am
Hey Jude! I’m posting on Kabocha today and am linking to this recipe. Kabocha and creamy coconut milk with shrimp? Oh, my, it must be heavenly. I can’t wait to try this now.
March 30th, 2009 at 1:17 am
thx..!
August 12th, 2009 at 7:01 pm
Love this!
August 17th, 2009 at 3:12 pm
mas masarap kung may sili…mmm
November 2nd, 2009 at 1:11 pm
[...] SQUASH RECIPES FROM AROUND THE BLOGOSPHERE Kabocha Squash Simmered with Lemon at Mental Masala Shrimp and Kabocha Squash in Coconut Milk at Apple Pie, Patis, and Pate Kabocha Pumpkin Hot Pot at Serious Eats Crustless Milk and Cardamom [...]
March 21st, 2010 at 11:44 pm
[...] and Mustard Greens Closet Cooking’s Kabocha Risotto Apple Pies, Patis, and Pate’s Ginataang Kalabasa (Kabocha Squash in Coconut [...]
September 24th, 2010 at 11:38 am
I just love coconut milk and shellfish together. It seems this is a really simple comfort food which is right up my alley. Great stuff!
Matt Kay
December 9th, 2010 at 8:48 am
This is a yummy and delightful recipe, that is perfect for a Sunday evening when nobody is in the mood for real hard cooking.
June 12th, 2011 at 4:35 pm
I’m a little late to the party.. was wondering if you peel the squash all the way per the recipe or leave some skin on? The photo looked like the skin was on. I’ve had squash both ways but this is my first time cooking with kabocha.
September 15th, 2011 at 10:06 am
What’s Taking place i’m new to this, I stumbled upon this I’ve found It absolutely useful and it has helped me out loads. I am hoping to give a contribution & help different customers like its aided me. Good job.
September 28th, 2011 at 1:20 pm
Ich würde müssen prüfen mit Ihnen hier. Was nicht etwas I Regel zu tun! I genießen lesen a Veröffentlichen das wird die machen Leute denken. Auch , vielen Dank für erlaubt mir comment !
November 8th, 2011 at 10:06 pm
where to buy Premier and Stitched Houston Astros jerseys ??…
[...]we adivce go to this website to see more about Houston Astros jerseys and others. [...]…
November 29th, 2011 at 9:28 pm
Appreciate it for helping out, wonderful information.
January 24th, 2012 at 1:03 am
I just made this tonight and it was soooo delicious. @Jay you don’t actually need to peel the squash. The skin will soften up, the flavor is pretty neutral and the dish will still turn a pretty shade of orange, not to mention you get tons of extra vitamins for leaving the skin on.
February 2nd, 2012 at 11:54 pm
Just made this and it was fantastic. The squash give the coconut milk such a nice buttery flavor so much so that if I hadn’t made it myself I would have thought that the shrimp had been cooked in rich creamy butter!!Thank you. Now, gotta go hunt down a Filipino dessert!
March 27th, 2012 at 4:44 am
I have to say that for the last few of hours i have been hooked by the impressive articles on this site. Keep up the good work.
October 24th, 2012 at 2:52 pm
This was delicious! I didn’t have the squash but used a sweet potato instead and it still tasted wonderful! It is so creamy! YUM!