Pumpkin Japanese-style: Simmered kabocha two ways

by Stefania Butler, Posted Oct 24th 2005 @ 2:25PM

Kabocha or Japanese pumpkin has slightly sweet taste, and it is cooked in many different ways in Japanese cuisine. Tempura is a one way (my favorite) but I also love it simmered in dashi or in miso soup. When simmered in dashi, it is warming and comforting and makes for a lovely, simple dinner along with some steamed rice. Kabocha in miso soup makes it even more sublime. Kabocha is usually added to miso soup in the fall. The creamy, sweetness of the kabocha offsets the salty miso perfectly. According to Setsuko Yoshizuka, about.com's Japanese cuisine expert, "Kabocha tend to keep its shape even if it's simmered." She encourages everyone to make some kabocha dishes for a Japanese twist on the usual Halloween dinner.

Simmered Sweet Kabocha

Ingredients:

1 lb. kabocha
4 cups prepared dashi soup stock (see dashi instructions)
3 tbsps sugar
1 tbsp soy sauce

Preparation:

   1. Cut kabocha into small chunks about 1 and 1/2 inch cube.
   2. Peel skin in places. (leave skin in places)
   3. Put dashi soup stock, sugar, soy sauce, and kabocha chunks in a pan.
   4. Place the pan in high heat and bring it to boil.
   5. Turn down the heat to low.
   6. Simmer kabocha until the liquid is almost gone.

Miso Soup with Kabocha

There are as many ways to make miso soup as there are people who make it. I like a little mirin in mine. Experiment to find a recipe that appeals to you.

Ingredients:

4 cups dashi soup stock
1/2 a small kabocha, de-seeded and sliced thinly into 1 in. pieces
1/2 tofu
3 tbsp miso paste
1/4 cup chopped green onion

Preparation:

Put dashi soup stock in a pan and bring to a boil. Add kabocha and simmer until tender. Cut tofu into small cubes and add them to the soup. Scoop out some soup stock from the pan and dissolve miso paste in it. Return the soup in the pan. Stop the heat and add chopped green onion. Remember not to boil the soup after you put miso in.

Source

Filed Under: Pumpkin Day, Ingredients, Methods
Tags: asia, boiling, dinner, pumpkin day, vegetables

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Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)

10-24-2005 @2:39PM Dmnkly said... I think it's less-frequently treated in such a manner, but if you haven't tried it, kabocha is AWESOME mashed or pureed. It has this incredible creamy, silky texture unlike any other squash I've tasted.
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10-24-2005 @7:05PM bob said... Replacing the tofu with soaked aduki beans is good too. Simmer with a strip of soaked kombu, season with the miso when the beans are cooked.
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