Easy Maja Kalabasa Recipe

INGREDIENTS:

For the Mashed Kalabasa:

• 2 cups kalabasa (squash), peeled, diced, cleaned

• 1/2 cup of water

• 1/8 tsp of salt

For the Maja:

• 1 & 1/4 cups mashed kalabasa

• Kalabasa stock

• 3/4 cup of cornstarch

• 2 cans (300 g) all- purpose cream

• 1 can (300 ml) condensed milk

• 1 & 1/4 cups of water

• 3 tsp lime or calamansi juice

• 2 tbsp of butter

• 1/8 cup cashews, toasted and roughly chopped for garnish (optional)

HOW TO COOK:

For the Mashed Kalabasa:

1. Place the diced kalabasa in a saucepan, then pour half cup of water and add salt.

2. Turn on heat then boil over medium heat until tender.

3. Remove from heat and drain (set aside the kalabasa stock for later use).

4. Mash kalabasa using a fork until it becomes smooth.

5. This will produce 1 & 1/2 cups.

6. Cool completely before storing it.

7. To store, place in a clean plastic container then refrigerate (it has 4 days storage life).

For the Maja Kalabasa:

1. In a large casserole, combine the cornstarch and the reserved kalabasa stock and whisk until it dissolves.

2. Add- in the condensed milk, all- purpose cream, calamansi juice, and mashed kalabasa, then stir.

3. Heat over low heat and bring to a simmer.

4. Stir continuously until it thickens for about 20 minutes (remove from heat when the mixture doesn’t easily fall off the spoon).

5. Add- in the butter and stir to combine the butter with the mixture.

6. Grease a 11 × 7 baking pan then pour the mixture and spread evenly.

7. You can optionally sprinkle your Maja Kalabasa with cashew nuts on top and let it cool completely before slicing it. Enjoy!

IMAGE: delishph.com