Soy-Braised Kabocha
Peeling kabocha is no easy task! You can cut the squash in sections, then cut away the skin with a paring knife. For even easier peeling, you can boil the kabocha whole for 5 minutes. After drying thoroughly, use a vegetable peeler or a paring knife.
Yield
4-6 Servings
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds kabocha
- ½ Tablespoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon mirin
- 2 Tablespoons brown sugar, divided
- 2 Tablespoons tamari or liquid aminos
- ¼ cup vegetable broth
- 2 Tablespoons sesame oil
- 1 cup chopped green onions, divided in half
- 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 Tablespoon minced ginger
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1 Tablespoon sesame seeds or gomasio, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°. Line a baking sheet with parchment
paper. - Peel kabocha and de-seed. After separating seeds from the kabocha's stringy membrane, rinse throughly,
pat dry, and spread over baking sheet in a thin layer. Season
with salt and drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 10-20 minutes,
shaking occasionally to prevent burning. Remove from
oven and let cool. - While seeds are toasting, chop kabocha into ¾” chunks,
yielding about 2-2½ cups. - Sprinkle 1 Tablespoon brown sugar over chopped kabocha.
- In a small bowl, mix together mirin, 1 Tablespoon brown sugar,
tamari and vegetable broth until sugar dissolves. Set aside. - Heat sesame oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in ½ cup
green onions, garlic, ginger and carrots. Let cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. - Raise heat to medium high and add kabocha. Cook, stirring
occasionally, until the kabocha begins to soften, about 5 minutes. - Reduce heat to medium and add mirin mixture. Cover and
let simmer for 5-10 minutes or until squash is tender enough to
pierce with a fork. - Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with remaining chopped green
onions, sesame seeds and toasted kabocha seeds. Enjoy!