Japanese Braised Pumpkin (かぼちゃの煮物)

This simple, old-fashioned Japanese vegetable dish evokes delicious zen in the middle of winter.

Before Japan opened up to international trade at the start of the 1900s, the dominating cuisine was ‘wa-shoku’ or ‘old food’. This style of Japanese cuisine had a strikingly modest approach, with many dishes requiring just a handful of staple ingredients and make-aheads. One of these staples was dashi, a soup stock made from kombu (kelp) and katsuobushi (dried fish flakes). Dashi was a foundation of many wa-shoku dishes, and this particular dish is no different. ‘Kabocha no samaroan’, or ‘pumpkin with meat sauce’ is a classic Japanese dish that embodies wa-shoku spirit. Take the season’s best pumpkin or squash - traditionally a ‘kabocha’ squash - and braise it in a mixture of dashi and savoury aromatics. Depending on the squash you use, it only takes 10-20 minutes to cook. The braising liquid can be served over the squash as a flavourful broth to make a meat-free dish, or combined with minced chicken and thickened to make a garnishing meat sauce. Whichever avenue you choose, you’re guaranteed heart-warming results. Let’s go!

INGREDIENTS (serves 4x)

• 1x small-sized pumpkin (ideally a ‘kabocha’, or other compact pumpkin/squash)

• 250ml of dashi stock (use the instant ‘dashi no moto’ sachet or ‘GET THE RECIPE’)

• 50ml of cooking sake (or 50ml white wine) [BEST BUY]

• 2 tablespoons mirin

• 1x 2cm piece of ginger, sliced

• 1/2 tsp Japanese pepper (shichimi togarashi) - or 1/4 tsp chilli powder

• 2x tablespoons brown sugar

• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce

• 2 tsps tablespoon lemon juice

  MEAT SAUCE (optional)

  • 100ml water

  • 150g chicken or turkey mince

  • 2 tsps cornflour

  • 2 tsps dark soy sauce

• To serve: cooked Japanese rice, noodles

WALKTHROUGH

1. First, let’s prepare the pumpkin. Using a vegetable peeler, peel the pumpkin in clumps, leaving some skin remaining. This prevents the skin turning tough, but also allows some skin to flavour the broth. Slice the pumpkin in half and remove the seeds with a spoon. Slice the pumpkin into 1.5-inch pieces, with a piece of the skin on each if possible. Set them aside.

   

   

2. Into a large cooking pot, add the 250ml dashi stock, 50ml cooking sake (white wine), 2 tablespoons mirin, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 1 tablespoon light soy sauce and the sliced ginger. Swirl until well combined.

   

   

3. Dip the pumpkin pieces in the liquid to coat them, then place each piece skin-side down into the pot. Arrange the pieces as a single layer only, with a small amount of space in between if possible. Place a small dinner plate on top of the pumpkin to weigh the pieces down during cooking.

   

   

4. Place a lid on the pot, leaving it ajar. Place the pot onto medium-high heat and bring the liquid to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer 10-20 minutes, or until the pumpkin is knife tender. Gently remove the pumpkin pieces once cooked and set them aside in a container, leaving the liquid in the pan for sauce.

   

   

5. To finish the sauce, add the 2 tsps lemon juice and 2 tsps of dark soy sauce then simmer the sauce until it very lightly coats a spoon. It should be quite thin and broth-like. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your preference, using sugar, lemon or salt. This can then be spooned over the cooked pumpkin for serving.

   

6. If you want to make the (optional) meat sauce for the dish. Add 100ml of water and the 150g minced chicken/turkey to the broth. Gently stir and break it up and simmer on low heat for 2-3 minutes.

   

7. In a small bowl, mix together 2 tsps cornflour and 1 tablespoon of water to make a thin slurry. Add the slurry to the pot of chicken and stir until it lightly thickens. Serve the chicken sauce over the pumpkin in its serving dish.

   

   

8. Serve your pumpkin with the remaining sauce spooned over the top. Have it with Japanese steamed rice or noodles - enjoy!