If you’re going to ask me for that one vegetable that made a good impression back when I was a child, I would immediately tell you that it’s Squash. I could still remember like it was yesterday, my nanay telling me to eat squash because it’s good for my eyes.
Whether it’s in a bowl of Nilaga, Pinakbet or Ginataan, her dialogue was “Kumain ka ng Kalabasa at pampalinaw yan ng mata.”
And I, as a kid who loves vegetables would eat more Squash than the other vegetables on my plate, thinking I would have X-Ray vision later.
Thanks to Isabel of My Expat Mommy and Kai of Bucaio for coming up with a healthy July Challenge for KCC. The Theme for July is Pang-Habang-Buhay. Something that is pampahaba ng buhay or promotes longevity and that should be a part of our cooking menu habang buhay {for the rest of our lives}.
This theme is quite timely too because as you all know, I’m in a month-long weight loss challenge.
I chose to make Kinalabasang Hipon/ Shrimp Cooked in Squash Pureé because I have fallen in love with it when we ordered it last month at the Isdaan Floating Restaurant in Laguna. I was pretty confident I could make something similar to it.
I think I got the taste right but the texture of the squash soup is different. I used an immersion blender to pureé the squash resulting into a pumpkin-soup-like consistency. Now that I’ve thought about it, I think I should’ve just let the squash simmer for quite a longer period of time to soften it and then just mashed it with a fork.
I just love that it’s perfect for a rainy day like what we have today….
Kinalabasang Hipon is something like a Pinoy version of Shrimp Bisque but it’s chunkier and it’s eaten with steamed rice.
♥note: Did you notice Ykaie’s reflection on the spoon?
- 500g shrimp, cleaned
- 300g squash, peeled and cut into pieces
- 1 white onion, chopped
- 2 tbsp canola oil
- a bunch of kangkong leaves
- 3 cups stock or 1 chicken cube + 3 cups water
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp sugar
- Heat oil in a small pot and sauté onion until it becomes translucent.
- Add squash and stock.
- Simmer until squash are soft. Use fork to mash it or if you prefer a smoother consistency, use an immersion blender.
- Simmer for 5 more minutes.
- Add in shrimp and simmer for 10 minutes to let the flavors get married. If it gets too thick, add more water or stock to thin it out.
- Stir in sugar and fish sauce to taste.
- Add kangkong leaves and simmer for another minute.
- Serve with steamed rice.
This is my entry for 
July Challenge.
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