Simmered Kabocha With Ginger
An autumn vegetable does not have to be roasted to earn a place at dinner. Namiko Hirasawa Chen’s Japanese Simmered Kabocha at Just One Cookbook takes squash in another direction, using a seasoned broth and gentle cooking rather than browned edges. The orange flesh and dark skin remain the visual focus of the bowl.
Chen’s recipe uses dashi, sake, sugar and soy sauce, with fresh ginger as an optional garnish. Her page explains how a drop lid supports the simmering process and includes alternatives for the stock. Those choices deserve attention when planning a vegetarian meal; different kinds of dashi are not interchangeable in their ingredients.
We would build a quiet supper around this bowl with plain rice and a separately prepared green vegetable. Serve the components in individual dishes so the squash’s broth does not disappear into everything else. It is a useful way to give a seasonal ingredient its own space without turning the meal into a large cooking project.
Recipe credit: Namiko Hirasawa Chen at Just One Cookbook. Read the complete Japanese Simmered Kabocha recipe for the tested method, quantities and stock options.