Binnur's Turkish Cookbook

TurkishCookbook.com - Delicious, healthy and easy-to-make Ottoman & Turkish recipes

Friday, March 18, 2005

Sweet Butternut Squash

(Kabak Tatlisi)

Click to enlarge
500 gr butternut squash
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1-2 tbsp water

Garnish:
Crushed pistachio or walnuts

Cut the squash in chunks a bit larger than bite-size. Place them in a medium pot. Add sugar and water. Cook on low-medium heat until soft, for about 25-30 minutes without the lid on. You'll know they're done when the water has been mostly drained and the colour of the squash darkens and they looks somewhat shiny.

Place on serving plate and let cool, then garnish with the pistachio or walnuts and serve.

2-3 servings.

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30 Comments:

At 12:59 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Really nice site! I wish I had discovered it earlier when I was living in Germany, far away from taste :)

Still very useful and neat recipes.

 
At 7:31 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

This may be a silly question but I have it nonetheless. Are the pistachio nuts salted or plain? Thanks.

 
At 10:55 PM, Blogger Binnur said...

Before the drying process most of the time pistachio nuts are salted.
So you can use salted or unsalted, it doesn't make such a big
difference:)

 
At 11:42 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I just noticed is 1 tbsp water a mistake?

 
At 10:40 PM, Blogger Binnur said...

No, it is not:) While it's cooking, the squash leaves plenty of water, 1 tbsp water would be enough.

 
At 4:17 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Can you use a different type of squash (pumpkin?) I've actually tried it with pumpkin but it almost always falls apart!!

 
At 2:56 PM, Blogger Binnur said...

I always use the same kınd of squash. I thınk you cook too much so I suggest you to cook less:)

 
At 2:11 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

My mom used to make this using whole cloves - would you know how much to add?

 
At 3:27 PM, Blogger Binnur said...

I never cook it with the cloves. Add one or two...give it a try:)

 
At 10:50 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Do you peel the squash or not?

 
At 2:50 PM, Blogger Binnur said...

I always buy peeled squash for this dessert. Sorry, I should have indicated:)

 
At 10:08 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

How do you suggest you alter the recipe if you start with fresh butternut squash? Thanks for your help.

 
At 5:35 PM, Blogger Binnur said...

Hi,
I've actually use fresh butternut squash:) Did you mean something else?

 
At 10:02 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

When peeling the butternut squash should it be peeled so that it is completely orange? I think I left too much of the rind because it didn't get as soft as I think it should and it wasn't as sweet as it should be. Maybe I just needed to add more sugar and cook a bit longer. I don't know. I'd appreciate some tips. Thanks.

 
At 9:15 PM, Blogger Binnur said...

Hi,
Butternut squash should be completely peeled I mean only orange part should be left. Green part still be a hard even after cooking. I don't suggest to change amount of sugar. If you like a it a little bit mushy, cook it longer.
Take care,

 
At 4:06 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Merhaba Binnur I LOVE your site. I was wondering, would brown sugar be all right to use in this recipe instead of white sugar? I usually prefer the taste of brown... if you have ever tried it, would you say to use the same amount of sugar?

Thanks so much!

 
At 2:59 PM, Blogger Binnur said...

Hi Suzanne,
Thank you:) you can substitute brown sugar for granulated white on a 1 to 1 basis. A cup of granulated sugar weighs 8 ounces, a cup of brown sugar weighs only 6. Granulated sugar has 46 calories per tablespoon, brown sugar has 50, Just a little reminder:) Brown sugar has molasses in it so the most significant difference will be taste. I've never used brown sugar. But it is common to use molasses to make Butter Squash in Turkiye.
Take care,

 
At 11:45 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi Binnur,
dont we use Pumpkin to make this dessert in Turkey? I want to try it but couldnt be sure if they are the same thing. thanks Gokcen

 
At 2:05 PM, Blogger Binnur said...

Hi Gokcen,
They are the same. We can find ready to use sweet butternut squash (peeled, cut in small pieces) here. It make more east to make the dessert:)

 
At 5:43 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Merhaba,
I just moved back to the U.S. after living in Turkey for 5 yrs. and I'm really missing the food there. I try to make some of them here but it's difficult to find some of the ingredients here and more expensive. One dessert I would love to learn the recipe for is a pumpkin dessert that is made with plaster of paris so that the pumpkin stays crispy on the outside while cooking and then it is put into sugar syrup and then drizzled with tahin before serving. I would love if you could share this recipe with me! Thank you!

 
At 12:11 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I am trying to understand what squash a la turque is for a customer that is requesting it for a catering. Can anyone tell me & perhaps how to make it? Thanks!

 
At 11:19 AM, Blogger Unknown said...

what is the most popular Turkish deserts. I work at a Turkish pizza and kebab shop and I would like to add more deserts on offer other than baklava do you have any suggestions?

 
At 1:10 PM, Blogger Binnur said...

Hi,
I am going to suggest you to check the Dairy Desserts section:)

 
At 2:31 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Binnur, do you have any bal kabagi soup recipe ?I look for a soup for halloween

 
At 2:48 PM, Blogger Binnur said...

I am going to post it for you tomorrow:)

 
At 9:28 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

What a coincidence:)Thank you

 
At 5:38 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I ate this once with heavy cream poured on top. I tried to recreate it and cooked the cream a little so it would not make the pumpkin cold, but it did not taste good. Do you know how it is made with heavy cream?

 
At 5:59 PM, Blogger Binnur said...

Hi,
It is called Kaymak (Thick Turkish Cream)in Turkish. I've posted it under the Breakfast and Dairy Desserts sections, here:

http://english.turkishcookbook.com/2006/12/thick-turkish-cream.html

 
At 1:12 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hello Binnur. I am eating this dessert for the first time now. I used your recipe. And Iam wondering, if pumpkin pies or cakes are also eaten in Turkey?

 
At 10:11 AM, Blogger Binnur said...

Hello,
Yes, we have pumpkin pies & tarts and more actually.. I am going to post
them in the future:)

 

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