Steps

1. Remove seeds and pulp from 1/4 pumpkin, cut into 4 pieces with the skin side down.
   🕒 03:06
2. Remove the core from 1/2 onion and thinly slice. Thinly slice 40g celery after peeling off the strings.
   🕒 03:35
3. Place the sliced onion and celery in a bowl, sprinkle with 2 pinches of salt, mix well, and let sit until softened. Once softened, knead with your hands, rinse briefly with water, and squeeze out excess water thoroughly.
   🕒 04:37
4. Cut 2 slices of bacon into 1cm thick pieces.
   🕒 05:06
5. Add about 1cm of water to a pot and arrange the cut pumpkin with the skin side down. Cover and steam over medium heat for about 15 minutes until tender.
   🕒 05:31
6. Dry toast 30g walnuts in a frying pan over medium heat without oil. Once fragrant, immediately transfer to a separate bowl. **(Key Tip!)** Dry toasting brings out the aroma of nuts. Be careful not to burn them, and transfer them to a bowl right after toasting.
   🕒 06:03
7. In the same frying pan without oil, fry the cut bacon until crispy. Once cooked, immediately transfer to a separate bowl.
   🕒 06:53
8. Scoop out the flesh of the steamed pumpkin with a spoon while it's still hot (you can leave the skin on if you don't mind it).
   🕒 08:43
9. Mash the pumpkin with a masher while it's still hot. **(Key Tip!)** Mashing while hot results in a smoother texture. It becomes harder to mash once cooled, so be mindful of this.
   🕒 09:18
10. Add the crispy fried bacon and roughly chopped walnuts to the mashed pumpkin.
    🕒 10:02
11. Add 4 tbsp mayonnaise [A] and 1 tsp soy sauce [A], and mix everything well.
    🕒 10:29
12. Taste and adjust seasoning with mayonnaise, salt, and sugar to your preference. **(Key Tip!)** The amount of seasoning needed will vary depending on the sweetness of the pumpkin, so always taste and adjust.
    🕒 11:07
13. Further knead the previously salted and squeezed onion and celery with your hands, rinse with water, and then thoroughly squeeze out the water. Add them to the mashed pumpkin.
    🕒 11:51
14. Gently mix everything together. **(Key Tip!)** Adding the onion and celery at the end prevents the salad from becoming watery and maintains their crisp texture.
    🕒 12:48
15. Serve in a bowl and sprinkle with a little black pepper to finish.
    🕒 13:05