Pumpkin (Pressure Cooker)
Pumpkin (Pressure Cooker)
Pumpkins in Thailand are what I called winter squash growing up in Michigan. A orange pumpkin is a winter squash as well. I have used these to make pumpkin pies and got rave reviews for them. So this is a base recipe if you need pumpkin for a pie or simply as a side dish, which is what these photos will show. I use a 9 liter (9½ quart) stove top pressure cooker, follow your pressure cooker safety instructions at all times.
Equipment
- Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
- 1 kilo fresh pumpkin, (2 lb)
- 1½ cups water
Instructions
- Our pumpkins here are a bit larger than large pressure cookers. This one I bought weighed in at about 3 kilos or about 6 lb, so obviously it is not going to fit. A note about that bad spot, think of a potato, if there is a bad spot, simple cut it off, same applies to squash.
- First thing to do is cut the pumpkin in half, then you have something to work with.
- I wanted to the keep the pieces in the largest size I could to minimize the cutting through a hard pumpkin. These 3 pieces weighed about 1 kilo (2 lb). Place the pieces on a steamer rack if your pressure cooker has one or on a trivet.
- Add the water, place the lid on the cooker and lock, add the weight and bring up to high heat. When the weight (jiggler) starts to move and vent pressure (indicating full pressure), turn the heat to low or medium low to just maintain the jiggler moving and venting. Start your timer for 5 minutes.
- When 5 minutes have passed, turn off the heat and move the pressure cooker to an unused burner. Leave the cooker alone and let it drop pressure naturally on its own, about 10-15 minutes.
- When you have indications of zero pressure in the vessel, remove the weight then the lid.
- Use a large flat spatula or large tongs, or both and remove a piece of pumpkin to a plate. Use a knife to simple slice off the skin. Here is the first one done. Plate that in a separate smaller pot. Repeat with the other pieces.
- Grab your potato masher and mash the pumpkin. I like to add a bit of butter as well when mashing if using as a side dish, no butter if mashing to use in pies.
- Serve as a side dish, and of course, with butter on top.
- Or use as an ingredient for pumpkin pies.
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