Japanese Pumpkin Flan with Spiced Hojicha Sauce Recipe

Purin (プリン) in Japanese, flan or Spanish flan or crème creme (creme caramel) in English, has been a very common dessert in Japan for more than 50 years, and this dessert has got many variations such as baked or jelly style, soft and creamy or smooth and firm texture.

Recipe for baked style matcha flan from here. Matcha Caramel Flan Recipe

Pumpkin flan (かぼちゃのプリン）is popular as a seasonal flan in autumn, and it can be made at home as well as you can buy it in cafes or shops.

Here is a recipe for steamed style pumpkin flan. 3 Ingredients (pumpkin, milk and sugar), easy to make. Although it is steamed, you don't need a steamer. You can use a big pan for steaming. It brings out the full flavor of the pumpkin with a smooth texture, and is a perfect dessert for this season.

Spiced Hojicha Caramel Sauce

Caramel sauce(カラメルソース), which is made from sugar and water, is usually served with pumpkin flan. For this recipe, something special is to make hojicha spiced caramel sauce instead of the caramel sauce.

If you have had hojicha (焙じ茶, roasted green tea) before, you can imagine how the flavor works for the caramel sauce. The aroma of hojicha and the slight bitter taste gives a nice flavor to the caramel sauce. Pumpkin flan could change a sophisticated taste.

Read about hojicha from here.

Also, spices for this caramel sauce goes well with hojicha, and it adds a special seasonal flavor to the flan.

Which type of pumpkin is good for this recipe?

Usually, this type of pumpkin (photo below) is used for pumpkin flan in Japan.

Orange meat with dark green skin, this pumpkin has a sweet taste, and soft and creamy texture. You can buy this type of pumpkin as Kabocha squash or Japanese pumpkin, also Hokkaido pumpkin outside Japan.This pumpkin tastes different from other types of pumpkin or squash. Let's find it and try Japanese pumpkin flan.

Pumpkin Flan with Hojicha Caramel Sauce Recipe

Ingredients

[ 5-6 ramekins for 150ml ]

pumpkin 500g / 17oz
milk 300ml
eggs 3
sugar 6 tbsp
whipped cream for garnishing, to taste

Spiced hojicha sauce
hojicha 10g / 0/35oz
sugar 8tbsp
water 200ml
pumpkin pie spice 1/2 tsp (same ratio of cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg)
hot water 1tbsp

Instructions

(To microwave) Put pumpkin in a bowl covering in a cling film, and heat at 600W for 5-6 mins until soft. or (To steam) Put pumpkin in a steamer or colander set over a pan of simmering water and cook for 20-25 mins until soft. Remove the pumpkin guts, and scoop out the pumpkin meat. Put it into a blender.
Place sugar and milk in a pan on medium heat, and heat until the sugar dissolves. You don't need to come to a boil. Just heat enough until the sugar dissolves. Add it into the blender, and blend them until smooth.
Add eggs into the blender, and blend until smooth. Straining the mixture is recommended to prevent any lumps. Pour it into the containers.
In a deep pan, place the ramekins on paper napkins or a tea towel to prevent the containers from moving when are heated. Add water 1/3 of the depth of the ramekins. Put on a lid, and heat them for 15-20 minutes on low heat after bringing to a boil. To make sure to be done by shake the ramekins. If the middle of the surface stays still, it means it is done. Let it cool and put it into a fridge.

[ caramel sauce]

Place tea leaves and boiling water in a tea pot, and steep for 2-3 minutes.
In a small pan, place the steeped tea, spice, and sugar, and simmer them mixing continuously until it turns thick and candy-like texture. Remove from the heat and add the hot water and stir well. Pour it into a jag.