When making cakes/kueh that require pumpkin puree, I prefer to roast the pumpkin instead of steaming. I don’t know, I just find that roasting brings better aroma and sweetness.
When buying pumpkin for this purpose, I prefer pumpkin that has been sliced in half rather than wedges. Why? So that the pumpkin can lie flat on the baking tray without any of the cut parts exposed. But it does not really matter. I’m just being a fussy old pot.
Give the outer part of the pumpkin a rinse to remove any impurities.
Before you roast the pumpkin, remove the seeds and pulp. Oh ya, preheat your oven to 180C.
Just use a spoon and go for it. Dig, dig, dig.
Place the pumpkin, cut side down on a baking tray. Roast at 180C for about 50 minutes until the pumpkin is tender. To test, pierce the pumpkin with a knife. Go all the way in to make sure that the pumpkin is cooked all the way through.
Remove from the oven and let the pumpkin cool. Once it is cool enough to handle, you can use a spoon to scoop out the flesh.
I like to store about 200-250g into containers.
This time, I got two containers of pumpkin flesh.
I store the roasted pumpkin flesh in the freezer for future use.
Easy, right?