Ade made a wonderful dessert with Japanese squash and tapioca pearls. Japanese Squash is also known as Japanese Pumpkin or Kabocha.

Japanese Squash is rich in beta carotene (as in all red-orange colour fruit), iron, vitamin C and potassium. It also has small traces of calcium, folic acid and minute amounts of vitamin Bs.

The Japanese Squash and Tapioca Dessert is very similar with ‘Sei Mei Lo’ (in Cantonese) which is made with honey dew instead. Everyone in the community kitchen loves this dessert. It is a sure keeper.

Ingredients

• 1 Japanese Squash, about 2 lbs
• 1 liter water (4 cups)
• 3/4 cup tapioca pearls
• 3/4 cup crystallized cane sugar

Click on Read More for the instructions.

Instructions

Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Add the tapioca pearls and keep stirring to prevent the tapioca from sticking together until the tapioca pearls become transparent.

Drain the tapioca pearls into a sieve. Rinse the tapioca pearls under cold running to stop the cooking and to prevent the tapioca pearls from sticking together.

In another big pot, bring 1 litre of water to a boil. Peel the Japanese squash, remove the seeds and cut into small cubes. Add the Japanese squash into the boiling water. Cook for about 30 minutes or until the squash softens.

Mash the Japanese squash with a masher. Add the sugar and simmer until the sugar dissolved. Add the tapioca pearls and stir to blend well. The dessert soup will thicken. Bring the dessert back to a boil and it’s ready to serve. Ade, thank you for sharing this recipe.