Sonoko Sakai’s Curry Kabocha Crumble Muffins

There is nothing more quintessentially fall than the ubiquitous pumpkins. Their varietal colors and shapes, and their bright orange interiors are much to be admired. My favorite pumpkin is kabocha, the Japanese winter squash, which I enjoy for its sweet, chestnut-like flavor. 

Although kabocha is known as a Japanese squash, it was introduced to Japan by Portuguese missionaries in the 16th century. Some say the word kabocha is derived from abobora, the Portuguese word for squash. Others say that kabocha came from the word Cambodia, which is where the Portuguese missionaries also set foot. But if you keep tracing kabocha’s roots further, you will eventually end up somewhere in the Andes region. I can see how this prolific grower could have transplanted itself from continent to continent, its seeds traveling around the world in missionaries’ pockets or carried by migrating birds, dropped to the ground and sprouting in the backyards of Japanese temple gardens and fields to become the beloved and familiar landrace variety that we call kabocha (which, by the way, is also a generic Japanese word that refers to all pumpkins). 

My mother associated kabocha with food shortages during the war. In the Japanese  countryside where she fled with her family, they basically subsisted on the squash. You think my mother would have tired of kabocha, but she loved it. She would put it in our miso soup and our bento boxes to brighten up our meals, or fry it up into tempura. Kabocha was also always present during the American holidays, which we celebrated just as much as we did Japanese holidays when our family moved to the States.  

These days, one of my favorite ways to use kabocha is in these vegan-friendly curry kabocha pumpkin crumble muffins, which I developed during the pandemic with my kitchen assistant, Daniela Swamp. They can be made with canned pumpkin purée, but when made with fresh roasted kabocha the flavor is exceptional. The idea of using Japanese curry powder in a muffin might seem unusual but it works, as many of the spices that we associate with a spice muffin — cinnamon, clove, ginger, cardamom, allspice — are in my Japanese curry powder. To make the muffins extra special, I make a crumble with orange zest, flour, brown sugar, coconut flakes, coconut oil, curry powder, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt. As the muffin bakes, the topping crisps up beautifully, adding a fun, craggy coating and a delightful crunch to these autumnal treats.