| Aehobak | |
|---|---|
 Aehobak after rain | |
| Species | Cucurbita moschata |
| Cultivar |
|
| Origin | Korea |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 애호박 |
|---|---|
| Revised Romanization | aehobak |
| McCune–Reischauer | aehobak |
| IPA | [ɛ.ɦo.bak̚] |
Aehobak (Korean: 애호박), also called Korean zucchini or Korean courgette,[1][2] is an edible, green to yellow-green summer squash. Although nearly all summer squashes are varieties of Cucurbita pepo,[3] aehobak belongs to the species Cucurbita moschata.[4] Commonly used in Korean cuisine, an aehobak has the shape of zucchini, but with thinner, smoother skin, and more delicate flesh.[5] It is usually sold in shrink-wrapped plastic.[5]
Cultivars of Korean zucchini include 'Seoulmadi', 'Bulam-sacheol', and 'Miso'.[4][6][7]
In Korean cuisine, the squash is used either fresh or dried. Fresh aehobak can be pan-fried, either julienned in batter into buchimgae or sliced and egg-washed as jeon. It is often made into namul-banchan (seasoned vegetable side dish), usually seasoned with salted shrimps and stir-fried. Sometimes, aehobak features as the main ingredient in stew dishes such as jijimi and mureum. Dried aehobak, called hobak-goji, can be prepared by slicing the squash thinly and sun-drying the slices. It is soaked before cooking, then usually stir-fried to make a bokkeum or namul.[citation needed]
The squash is also used in royal court dishes such as seon, and more recently in wolgwa-chae, replacing the Oriental pickling melon.[citation needed]
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