Fresh Pumpkin Purée

With Thanksgiving in less than a week, I presume it will be difficult to lay my hands on canned pumpkin (if they are available in our supermarkets at all in the first place).

The same season last year, I was frantically searching for canned pumpkin just so I could make some pumpkin pie. I didn't find any in the supermarkets (perhaps I didn't search thorough enough >.<) and I'm not sure if I would want to pay premium for canned pumpkin in a speciality store. 

If you have some time on your hands (and some elbow grease), I highly recommend making your own fresh pumpkin purée for your baking/cooking needs. Anything freshly made will beat anything canned, in terms of nutrition and flavour any time, hands down. 

Fresh Pumpkin Purée

  1kg     Pumpkin, skinned, seeded and cube

100g     Brown Sugar (not too sweet, increase as per desired)

Optional

   3g      Ground Cinnamon

   1g      Ground Nutmeg

   1g      Ground Ginger

1. There are 2 options for cooking the pumpkin:

• Steam pumpkin over boiling water till the pumpkin can be easily mashed with a fork. This method is good for retaining the pumpkin's water content
• Roast pumpkin on a generously greased baking sheet, skin left on and flesh side down, at 200ºC for about 30-40mins till soft. This method is good for providing an additional depth in flavour, however, the pumpkin tends to be drier. 

2. You may mash the pumpkin using a potato masher or with the good old fork. Alternatively, blend the pumpkin in a food processor. For smoother consistency, have the purée pushed through a sieve to remove any bigger pumpkin pieces. 

3. In a medium saucepot, add brown sugar and spices (if using) to the pumpkin purée. Cook over low heat till the colour darkens and mixture thickens slightly. Let cool completely and use in desired applications.

You can use the purée in your cakes, pies, kuehs, baos. In fact it will work for any recipes that call for canned pumpkin. Without the added brown sugar, it's the perfect baby food. When chilled, it is a healthy substitute for ice cream. They will store in the refrigerator for 1 week in an air tight container and up to 2 months in the freezer. So go ahead and whip up a large batch! =)

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