00:00Most dishes are best straight off the stove.
00:03Kabocha no nimono gets better once the heat is off,
00:05soaking up with sweet soy sauce broth as it cools.
00:0925 minutes on the stove, then the counter does the rest.
00:14Grab 450g of kabocha squash and scoop out the seeds with a steady spoon.
00:20Scrape out the stringy fibers too until the walls are smooth.
00:24That is the key to this first step.
00:27Any fiber you leave behind turns into a crack line.
00:31And that is exactly where a piece splits apart in the pot.
00:35Cut the squash into chunks about the same size and keep the skin on every piece.
00:40The skin holds each chunk together while it simmers.
00:43It softens in the pot and you eat it.
00:46A slightly firmer layer against the fluffy inside.
00:50If the squash is too hard to get a knife through, microwave it for 2-3 minutes first.
00:56No kabocha, but not squash works.
00:59Just cut it a little bigger and take a few minutes off the cinema.
01:04And if you're in Europe, red curry squash is the closest match you'll find.
01:10You'll probably only need part of the squash here.
01:13And if you want an idea for the rest, my silky kabocha soup is on the card.
01:19Now shave the sharp corners off each piece with your knife or a peeler.
01:24This is called mentori.
01:26Those thin edges cook faster than the rest and chip first when the pieces bump into each other.
01:32Two minutes of trimming is the key to a pot where every piece comes out whole.
01:37Lay the pieces skin side down in a wide pot in a single layer with nothing stacked.
01:42The skin is tougher so it takes the direct heat and protects the soft flesh above it.
01:49A 20-24cm pan with high size works well.
01:54Go too wide though, and the broth spreads too thin to season anything.
02:00Borrowing 300ml of dashi, if you want to make your dashi from scratch, that video is on the card.
02:07Add a half tablespoon of sugar, two tablespoons of mirin, and two tablespoons of sake.
02:13The sugar goes in before any soy sauce.
02:15Sugar is a bigger molecule and soaks into the squash slowly.
02:20And soy sauce added first would tighten the flesh and block it.
02:24Take a look at the liquid level.
02:26You want the broth just barely covering the kabocha with the tops of the pieces still peeking out.
02:31Too much liquid and the pieces float, knock together, and break.
02:36Bring it to a medium boil and let it bubble uncovered for two minutes.
02:41That boil dries off the alcohol from the sake and mirin,
02:45and the mirin helps every piece hold its shape through the rest of the cook.
02:50While it bubbles, measure out two tablespoons of Japanese soy sauce,
02:54pour about two thirds of it into the pot, and hold onto the last third.
03:01We come back for it at the very end.
03:04This first pour builds the deep, rounded savoury base,
03:07so it needs the whole simmer to become part of the dish.
03:11Turn the heat down to a gentle simmer, and set a drop lid, and otoshibuta, right on the surface of
03:17the kabocha.
03:17The lid sends the seam back down over the tops of the pieces, so everything gets basted.
03:23No drop lid, a circle of parchment paper with a small hole in the centre does the same job,
03:29and how to cut one is on the card.
03:32Simmer for about 10 minutes or until fork tender.
03:35You want small, lazy bubbles somewhere around 90-95 degrees Celsius.
03:40It's been 10 minutes, so test the biggest piece with the bamboo skewer.
03:45It should slide in with just a little resistance, like a well-baked potato.
03:51Turn off the heat and pour in the last third of the soy sauce.
03:55This is why we held it back.
03:57Long cooking drives off the bright smell of soy sauce,
04:00so this second pour puts the fresh aroma right back on top of the deep base from the first one.
04:06Leave the drop lid on, and move the pot to the counter.
04:10Let it sit untouched, until it reaches room temperature.
04:14That takes at least 30 minutes, and longer is better.
04:17I know half an hour feels long when the kitchen smells like this.
04:21If you leave it longer than that, move it into the fridge, and overnight is ideal.
04:27When you're ready to eat, warm it gently over low heat, or just serve it cold.
04:31In Japan, it usually goes to the table slightly warm, or at room temperature.
04:37Plate the finished kabocha onto a small dish.
04:39That dry, fluffy, sweet-savory bite is what the half hour on the counter was for.
04:46And this is my kabocha no nimonos.
04:48This is what patience looks like on one small dish.
04:52Make this tonight.
04:53Google kabocha no nimonosu tachi for the full printable recipe with exact measurements and timing.
04:58Want even more delicious recipes?
05:00Please grab my free cookbook from the link in the description.
05:05Okay, let's go over the ingredients one more time.
05:07And if you're ready to cook, grab the written instructions by clicking the full recipe box
05:12with a picture that's about to pop up on your screen.
05:15Tap the recipe card on your screen for the full printable version with exact measurements,
05:20every timing, and no's for getting each step right.
05:23Next time, I'm making meal feel nabe.
05:26See you then.
