Aehobak Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Aehobak
Aehobak after rain
Species	Cucurbita moschata
Cultivar	Seoulmadi Bulam-sacheol Miso
Origin	Korea

Korean name
Hangul	애호박
Revised Romanization	aehobak
McCune–Reischauer	aehobak
IPA	[ɛ.ɦo.bak̚]

Aehobak (Korean: 애호박) is a special type of summer squash. You might also hear it called Korean zucchini or Korean courgette. It's a popular vegetable in Korean cuisine. Aehobak looks a lot like regular zucchini. However, it has a thinner, smoother skin and a softer inside. It's usually a green to yellow-green color. While most summer squashes are from the Cucurbita pepo family, aehobak is unique. It belongs to a different group called Cucurbita moschata. Some common types of Korean zucchini are 'Seoulmadi', 'Bulam-sacheol', and 'Miso'.

Cooking with Aehobak
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Cooking with Aehobak

Aehobak is used in many ways in Korean cuisine. People use it both fresh and dried.

Fresh Aehobak Dishes

When fresh, aehobak can be cooked in different ways:

Pan-fried: It can be cut into thin strips and mixed into a batter to make buchimgae, which are like savory pancakes.
Sliced and Fried: Thin slices can be dipped in egg and pan-fried to make jeon.
Side Dishes: Aehobak is often made into namul-banchan. These are seasoned vegetable side dishes. It's usually stir-fried and seasoned with salted shrimps.
Stews: Sometimes, aehobak is the main ingredient in stew dishes. Examples include jijimi and mureum.

Dried Aehobak

Dried aehobak is called hobak-goji. To make it, the squash is sliced very thinly. Then, the slices are sun-dried. Before cooking, you need to soak the dried slices in water. After soaking, it's usually stir-fried to make a bokkeum or namul.

Special Dishes

Aehobak is also used in special dishes. It was even part of royal court dishes like seon. More recently, it's used in wolgwa-chae, taking the place of another melon.