Japanese Pumpkin Salad

Ingredients

Contains: tree nuts, soy, sesame (auto-detected from the ingredients and method; we can miss things, so check labels)

• 1 small pumpkin or butternut squash
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• for basting olive oil
• 250g/8¾oz frozen chestnuts
• 1 red pepper
• 2-3 sticks celery
• 150g/5¼oz cup mushrooms
• 1/3 cucumber, 3cm/1.5in fresh ginger
• 2-3 cloves garlic
• 1 tbsp poppy seeds
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 3 tbsp sesame oil
• 3 tbsp dark soy sauce

Directions

Method written by CompKitchen from the ingredient list. Not the original author's method, not kitchen-tested.

1. Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Halve and seed the pumpkin or squash, cut into wedges, brush with the olive oil for basting, and season with salt and pepper.

2. Roast the pumpkin wedges for 35 to 40 minutes, turning once, until tender and browned at the edges.

3. Put the frozen chestnuts in a pan of boiling water for 5 minutes, drain well, then add them to a roasting tray for the last 15 minutes beside the pumpkin.

4. Cut the red pepper, celery and cucumber into thin matchsticks. Slice the mushrooms. Finely grate the ginger and finely chop the garlic.

5. Heat a splash of olive oil in a frying pan. Fry the mushrooms, red pepper and celery for 4 to 5 minutes until just softened. Season with salt and pepper.

6. Whisk together the sesame oil, dark soy sauce, olive oil, grated ginger and chopped garlic to make a dressing.

7. Toast the poppy seeds and sesame seeds in a dry pan over medium heat for 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until fragrant. Watch closely so they do not burn.

8. Combine the roasted pumpkin, chestnuts, fried vegetables and cucumber in a large bowl. Toss with the dressing, sprinkle with the toasted seeds and serve warm or at room temperature.