Japanese simmered kabocha (kabocha no nimono)

Photo: Just One Cookbook

Kabocha simmered in dashi with sake, sugar and soy until it's sweet, savory and so tender it nearly melts. Served warm or at room temperature, in every bento in Japan.

From Namiko Chen at Just One Cookbook · @justonecookbook

The simplest way to taste how good kabocha is: no oil, a short ingredient list, and the skin left on so it holds its shape.

You need

• 1 lb kabocha squash (about ½ small one)
• 1¾ cups water
• ½ cup katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes)
• 2 tbsp sake
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 2 tsp soy sauce
• ⅛ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt (half that of table salt)
• Fresh ginger, julienned from a 1-inch knob, to garnish

How to make it

1. Make a quick dashi: bring the water to a boil, turn off the heat, add the katsuobushi and leave 2 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve, pressing gently. You need about 1½ cups.
2. Scoop the seeds out of the kabocha and cut it into 1½- to 2-inch pieces. Peel off a few patches of skin from each piece (it helps the flavor in and looks pretty), and shave the sharp edges off each piece with a knife so they don't break up while simmering.
3. Lay the pieces in a single layer in a wide pot, skin side down. Pour over the dashi, then add the sake and sugar.
4. Cover with a drop lid (a circle of parchment or foil with a hole in the middle, laid right on the squash) and bring to a boil, then lower to a gentle simmer for 10 minutes.
5. Add the soy sauce and salt, replace the drop lid and simmer 5 to 10 minutes more, until a skewer goes through a piece easily. Don't stir; shake the pot gently if needed.
6. Turn off the heat and leave the kabocha to cool in the liquid for at least 15 minutes; it soaks up flavor as it cools. Serve warm or at room temperature with a little of the broth, topped with ginger.

Written in our own words from Namiko Chen's recipe, with their quantities. The original: Japanese simmered kabocha (kabocha no nimono), Just One Cookbook.

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