Love how this Pumpkin Stir-Fry recipe becomes a quick, homey weeknight meal with just a few ingredients like pumpkin, garlic and eggs!
Do you wish you could make Pumpkin Stir-Fry at home but feel intimidated to try making it?
I’ve been there too, but not anymore!
Over a decade ago I fell in love with Thai food, my Thai Hubby, and cooking Thai food, and after learning from my Thai grandma-n-law, and Thai Hubby, and cooking for years, I now teach Thai cooking classes at my home every week!
And since you can’t make it to my cooking class right now, I’m happy to teach you right now how to make Pumpkin Stir-Fry and answer your questions, just like if you were at my Thai cooking class in my kitchen.
What pumpkin to use when cooking pumpkin as a vegetable?
Pumpkin Stir-Fry is made with what looks like a pumpkin, but what I use when making this pumpkin vegetable recipe is kabocha squash, or a Japanese pumpkin, as shown in the pic above.
Why I love using Kabocha squash in a pumpkin vegetable recipe:
- Sweet flavor: If a sweet potato and a pumpkin had a baby it would taste like a kabocha squash. Yum!
- Holds up well when stir-fried: it doesn’t become a watery mess like other squashes might.
- Doesn’t have to be peeled: unless you want to, so yay, one less step!
But the only downside is they can be hard to find. When I asked the produce guy at our grocery store if they had it, he didn’t know what I was talking about.
So I went to the Asian store, and it was sitting right there, and labeled Japanese Pumpkin/Kabocha Squash, love me some Asian stores.
Substitutes for Kabocha Squash
If you can’t find kabocha squash great substitutes are Thai pumpkin, and butternut squash, but make sure you peel it. I wouldn’t use traditional American pumpkins because they would fall apart and taste weird.
Pumpkin Stir-Fry Ingredients
1 small kabocha squash (around 2.5 lbs), don’t have to peel it unless you want to, OR 1 butternut squash, peeled
3 garlic cloves peeled and minced
4 eggs, beaten
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
2–3 cups chicken broth or water
1/4 tsp white pepper powder
handful of coarsely chopped cilantro
How to Make Pumpkin Stir-Fry
Use the sharpest knife you have to cut the pumpkin or squash into quarters, and remove the seeds. Then cut into 1-inch-ish cubes.
Add a few tablespoons of oil to your wok over medium-high heat, and add the garlic.
Stir-fry garlic for a minute or so until fragrant.
Add pumpkin, fish sauce and oyster sauce, and enough chicken broth or water to cover it. Some pumpkin pieces may be sticking up, but that’s ok. Put a lid over the wok.
Bring to a boil, and let boil for 5-8 minutes or until pumpkin is fork-tender, and most of the liquid has evaporated. My Thai Hubby likes to have enough liquid left for a sauce, but do what you prefer.
Push the pumpkin to the edges to make a well in the center of the wok.
Pour in the eggs and scramble until set, and then mix in with pumpkin.
Add more fish sauce or oyster sauce to taste, and sprinkle with white pepper powder, and turn off the heat.
Sprinkle cilantro on top if you wish, and enjoy with jasmine rice!
What to Serve with Pumpkin Stir-Fry:
Our favorite Thai dishes to pair with any Asian pumpkin dish are:
- Moo Ping: Grilled pork paired with a pumpkin stir-fry? What could be better?!
- Instant Pot Sriracha Chicken: An easy side to pair with an easy main! Quick fall weeknight dinner!
Pumpkin Stir-Fry Tips:
Warning: Kabocha squash are hard to chop! Make sure your knives are sharpened, and give yourself some extra prep time to chop the pumpkin.
I felt like I was a mighty warrior as I hacked away at it while grunting, “Argh!!!” so much my kids were wondering what was happening to their mom.
But eventually I got it all chopped up, and the rest was quick and easy.
Sherri’s Pumpkin Stir-Fry Story
“Pumpkin is eaten as a dessert in America? What?!”
That was my Thai family’s response when they heard Americans put pumpkins in a pie and call it a dessert, and that it’s supposed to be good.
“You eat pumpkin for lunch? What?!”
That was my response to my Thai-coworkers during our lunch break when they told me the vibrant yellow orange veggie mixed with egg on their plate was pumpkin.
Thailand and America both have pumpkin, but as you can tell, we totally don’t treat it the same way.
But we’ve both got something awesome going down because American pumpkin pie, and Thai Stir-Fried Pumpkin with Eggs are both delicious ways to eat pumpkin!
Try the Thai way to eat pumpkin as a vegetable instead of a dessert today, and I want to see too! Share your pic with me on Instagram, and tag me @thaifoodie!
Print
Pumpkin Stir-Fry
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 3-4 1x
Description
Love how this Pumpkin Stir-Fry becomes a quick, homey weeknight meal with just a few ingredients like pumpkin, garlic and eggs!
Ingredients
- 1 small kabocha squash (around 2.5 lbs), don’t have to peel it unless you want to, OR 1 butternut squash, peeled
- 3 garlic cloves peeled and minced
- 4 eggs, beaten
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 2–3 cups chicken broth or water
- 1/4 tsp white pepper powder
- handful of coarsely chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Use the sharpest knife you have to cut the pumpkin or squash into quarters, and remove the seeds. Then cut into 1-inch-ish cubes.
- Add a few tablespoons of oil to your wok over medium-high heat, and add the garlic.
- Stir-fry garlic for a minute or so until fragrant.
- Add pumpkin, fish sauce and oyster sauce, and enough chicken broth or water to cover it. Some pumpkin pieces may be sticking up, but that’s ok. Put a lid over the wok.
- Bring to a boil, and let boil for 5-8 minutes or until pumpkin is fork-tender, and most of the liquid has evaporated. My Thai Hubby likes to have enough liquid left for a sauce, but do what you prefer.
- Push the pumpkin to the edges to make a well in the center of the wok.
- Pour in the eggs and scramble until set, and then mix in with pumpkin.
- Add more fish sauce or oyster sauce to taste, and sprinkle with white pepper powder, and turn off the heat.
- Sprinkle cilantro on top if you wish, and enjoy with jasmine rice!
Notes
You can also add ground pork, beef or tofu if you want to make it even more filling, which they do in Thailand sometimes. Just cook the meat first, and then add in the pumpkin, and add extra fish sauce or oyster sauce to taste.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Vegetable
- Method: Stir-Fry
- Cuisine: Thai
Hi, I would like to know. What is the diffrence between orange and green kabocha?
If I’m using orange kabocha, do I need to peel the skin?
Great question! Orange kabocha squash is another variety of kabocha, so apparently it tastes the same as the green kabocha, it’s just a different color on the outside. I’ve never cooked with the orange variety, but I researched it, and you can leave the peel on or off just like with the green variety, so it’s your choice!
One of my all-time favourite Thai foods! In fact… It’s what I am cooking for dinner tonight. It’s a great dish to cook for people too that think all Thai food has to be spicy. It’s such a hug in a bowl, pure comfort food.
Lovely blog by the way!
Thanks so much for your kind words Martin! 🙂 I totally agree, it’s so fun to teach people that not all Thai foods are spicy!
Did you know several local growers have sold kabocha at the Farmer’s Market before? I bet you could find it, Sherri! Could you please suggest a gluten-free substitute for oyster sauce? Could I just double the fish sauce instead? Can’t wait to try this recipe.
That’s awesome! I will have to check out those local growers at the Farmer’s market! I’d add equal parts brown sugar, and tamari, or whatever soy sauce alternative you use to make a gluten-free sub for the oyster sauce. You might be able to find gluten free oyster sauce though at Harris Teeter or Publix, and you can for sure order it online.
Gonna make this soon as i have a garden full of the orange variety (these bloody things like to climb everywhere). I cook Thai alot myself and have for many years , but i do not know this recipe. One Question…Do you cook the eggs in the remaining liquid? If so,…how much reserved should there be left before addding eggs?
I thought about frying the eggs in oil and addding them later like one would with fried rice, but i bet adding to the liquid would be better.
Thanks in advance!
Thanks for your comment Kiss! That’s exciting about your pumpkin harvest! Yes! The eggs cook right in the little bit of liquid left in the pan, just a few tablespoons is perfect. They scramble softly and soak up the flavors of the pumpkin. You can definitely fry them separately and add them back like fried rice, but cooking them in the sauce makes everything extra creamy and delicious.
Just made it ! It was tasty and the wife loved it. However, there was no way 2 to 3 cups ( i used about 2 and a quarter or so) of broth was going to reduce in 8 minutes, so I wound up ladeling out about a cup before adding the eggs. No worries, as i just spooned the leftover broth over the white rice to give it a bit of extra flavour. Might try it with ground pork as well, as you suggest. Oh , first name is Zoltan, we put the last name first and first name last here Hungary. Silly Magyars.
So glad you and your wife liked it, Zoltan! Great tip with the broth over rice, and ground pork would be delicious too!
Love this unique way to use pumpkin!
Can I use a regular pie pumpkin? I bought one today hoping to make stir fried pumpkin and your recipe looks so good. But I may have to go get a different type of squash.
Hi Kim! You can definitely use a regular pie pumpkin. I usually use kabocha since it is a bit denser, but I love when readers use what they have on hand. Pie pumpkin will be a little softer and more watery, so just keep an eye on it as it cooks and stir gently toward the end so it doesn’t get too mushy. The flavor will still be delicious, slightly sweeter and lighter, and it will soak up all the yummy garlic and fish sauce. I hope you enjoy it!