Kabocha no Nimono

This is a super easy side dish that can be served cold or warm, not to mention that is healthy and loaded with vitamin A and dietary fiber.

My parents had a lot of Japanese influence when growing up as Taiwan was dominated by Japan. In Brazil, we grew up eating a variety of Taiwanese, Japanese and Brazilian food and most of the time I did not even know the name of the dishes. This recipe of kabocha no Nimono, meaning boiled or simmered kabocha was one of them.

Kabocha is one of my favorite pumpkin and besides, making soup, air-fry, roast, in bread dough, I love the no Nimono recipe as it is very practical.

If you get to try this simple and easy recipe please be careful when cutting the kabocha. Somehow, they are hardy and very hard to cut as compared to the other pumpkins. And yes, you can eat the skin…

– What is kabocha?

Kabocha is a Japanese pumpkin, and its texture is denser than the other species. It carries a sweet touch., and the flesh is dark orange.

– That is no Nimono?

“no Nimono” in Japanese means simmered…and is a classic Japanese dish. The pieces of kabocha are simmered in a broth that is savory and sweet. And they taste better when it’s made ahead and stored in the broth for a while, so each piece is loaded with the broth flavor.

The kabocha has a very distinctive texture as compared to the other pumpkins, once cooked is very creamy and rich despite of the hard texture when raw.

– Are you ready to try this very simple and yet so tasty kabocha?

Like all the recipes I share, it is up to you to add a bit more of salt or sugar, it all depends of your liking so please feel free to experiment. Ingredients:

1 medium kabocha, a little more the 1 kg (2 lbs) 500 ml of water 4 tablespoons light 4 tablespoons sugar (if you like sweeter, add 1 extra tablespoon) 5 tablespoons 5 tablespoons

Method:

Wash the kabocha by scrubbing the skin. Cut into approximately 3-4 cm (1.5 inch).

In am medium pan add the kabocha, and all the listed ingredients. Bring to boil and lower the heat to a simmer, leaving the lid slightly ajar (to let the steam escape).

Simmer until the kabocha softened, approximately 20-25 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Cover and let the kabocha sit in the broth until cool. Place in the refrigerator once cool.

Serve cold or reheat to serve.

– Looking for more pumpkin recipes? Check these out…

Did you know that kabocha, like all the pumpkins are a rich source of vitamin A and C? Not only has low-calorie, the kabocha squash is rich in iron, vitamin B, beta-carotene, copper, magnesium, many antioxidants, also contain dietary fiber.

Thank you for visiting Color Your Recipes…have a colorful week!

Kabocha Soup with

This is an Asian inspired pumpkin soup made with kabocha and a hint of miso. It is creamy and loaded with umami flavor. Pumpkin season…all kind of squashes…I love them all…all kind of shape and texture…every different squash has its own quality. Since my parents got a lot of Japanese influence when growing up, our table too was a reflection of it…and kabocha squash (Japanese pumpkin) was often seeing, either steamed or sauté…and of course I carried all my mom’s cooking tips with me…and often I call her to find out how she did this or that…and I add my “touch” into it.

I have been seeing this squash all year round in regular grocery store, even at Trader Joe’s…this squash is somehow sweeter than the other species, and the texture is somehow in between and the flaky chestnut.

I usually scrub well the skin, cut into 1 to 1 ½ in cubes and steam or cook with a bit of water and serve as a side dish or add to salad. Because I decided to make soup, I removed the skin, so the color of the soup would look nicer, but if you do not care for it, go ahead and leave the skin.

The combination of the sweetness of the kabocha with the salty miso gives the ultimate “umami” flavor, a very unique and exquisite one.

Ingredients:

Approximately 500 g kabocha, steamed 3 to 4 garlic cloves, finely minced 1 small onion, chopped 1 tablespoons olive oil 5 to 6 cups vegetable or chicken broth 2 tablespoons white miso diluted in 2 tablespoons of water Salt and pepper to taste Scallion for garnish Method:

Wash the kabocha squash and dry it before cutting. Please be careful as the squash is somehow very hardy. Remove the seeds and the pulp with a large spoon. Cut into slices of approximately 1 in wedge. You can use the seed for roasting.

Place the kabocha in a steamer with enough water. Steam the squash under high heat for approximately 10 minutes. Once cooked it can be served cold in salad or drizzled with miso sauce. For the soup continue with the following.

In the medium pot sauté onion and garlic with olive oil under medium heat until the onion is soft, be careful not to burn.

Add the broth either vegetable or chicken. Then add the steamed kabocha and the diluted miso paste.

Let it boil for a couple of minutes and remove from the heat. At this point you can either transfer the soup mixture to a blender or use a emulsion stick to puree the soup.

Pour the mixture back to the pot and continue to cook for another couple of minutes in medium-low heat.

Adjust for salt and pepper and more liquid (broth) according to your taste.

Garnish with finely chopped scallion or pumpkin seeds.

Serve hot. If you enjoy miso, the Japanese fermented soybean paste you might like Sous Vide Miso Tilapia or Miso Caramel Sauce.

Did you know that kabocha like all the squash is rich in beta carotene? Moreover, it is rich in vitamin Ciron and potassium. Kabocha is available all year round and the skin is completely edible.

Thank you for stopping by Color Your Recipes…have a colorful week! Kabocha Sandwich Bread

This is an Asian inspired recipe using tangzhong method for baking bread. The recipe calls for mashed kabocha. The bread is super soft, cottony and stays this way for many days. Have you heard of kabocha? Kabocha is an Asian variety of squash and known as Japanese pumpkin. It is sweeter than other varieties of squash. So by reading the title you can imagine what I used to make this bread…kabocha! I used the water roux or tangzhong method, which is very simple. This bread is so soft and cottony…delicious for any kind of sandwich, and because I did not add any spices to the kabocha puree the color of this bread is so vivid…absolutely gorgeous!

I had some leftover dough, since I did not want to place all the dough into the Pullman loaf pan…I quickly made a small pull-apart just by rolling the dough, brushing with a little butter, sprinkle cinnamon and sugar. Cut into strips and layer them together into a mini loaf pan. No need to mention that the little loaf of pull-apart bread disappeared so fast…as if never existed… Because I used the water roux method, the sandwich bread stayed fresh, soft and cottony for a few days…yum!

One more thing…I use my little Zojirushi bread maker to knead the dough, but feel free to do it manually as well.

Ingredients:

Water Roux or Tangzhong

15 g bread flour 75 g water

Main dough

150 g kabocha mashed after steamed for 10 to 15 minutes 2½ cup bread flour 1 ½ tablespoon sugar 2 tablespoons dry milk ½ teaspoon sea salt 1 ½ teaspoon dry yeast 75 ml water 2 tablespoons butter

Method:

Water roux

In a small pan, mix all the ingredients of water roux, place in a low heat and stir constantly until the temperature reach 65C (150F), or if you do not have a thermometer, cook until ripples form. Set aside to cool by covering with a plastic film.

Dough

In the bread machine bucket, add the water roux, and all the other ingredients, except for the butter. Turn the machine to knead mode until it forms soft dough, slightly sticky. Add more water of flour as needed since the content of water will vary between different pumpkin puree. Add the butter and let it knead until the butter incorporates to the dough. Remove the dough and place in a bowl by covering with a plastic film.

Let both dough proof until the dough double to its original size.

Knock back the dough and split into 4 balls and let it rest for 5 minutes on the counter.

Flatten the ball and shape like a Swiss roll, flat again and roll it again like a Swiss roll.

Place the Swiss rolls into the Pullman pan and let it rise until almost 90% to reach the rim of the pan.

Cover the pan and bake in a preheated oven of 350F for approximately 25 minutes. For the pull-apart bread, bake for 15 minutes.

Remove from the oven and flip the bread into a wire rack to cool.

Store the bread in an airtight container.

If you enjoy this simple recipe for Asian inspired bread, you might want to check on Chia Milk Sandwich Bread or Pumpkin Dinner roll recipes.

This coming Sunday is Mother’s Day… to all the mothers out there!

Did you know that kabocha is a great source beta-carotene? Beta-carotene is converted in vitamin A in our body which is important for our health. Vitamin A is important for many body functions, such as vision, immune system, bone metabolism, skin health, formation of blood components, bone metabolism, and is an antioxidant.

Have a colorful week and thank you for visiting Color Your Recipes!