Simmering Part 1 : Kabocha Pumpkin

Professional chef Mr. Saito will teach you Japanese cooking techniques. Today, in the primary simmering lesson, we'll learn how to simmer food with light seasonings. Kabocha pumpkin is delicately seasoned with soy sauce and sugar to highlight the pumpkin's original flavor. Simmered Kabocha Pumpkin [Ingredients] *Serves 2 300g kabocha pumpkin 400ml dashi stock 2 tbsp sugar 1 tbsp mirin 1 tbsp soy sauce Boiled snow peas, for garnish Lemon peel, cut into thin shreds, for garnish [Method] 1. Cut the kabocha into halves, then remove the hard part of the shell. Remove the seeds by scooping with a spoon. 2. Cut into quarters then peel the skin, as if making spots. 3. Cut into 3 to 4 cm cubes, place in a pan, and pour in the dashi stock. Bring to a boil, over high heat. 4. Add the sugar and mirin, cover with a paper lid, and gently simmer over low heat. You don't want to move the kabocha in the liquid, simmer for 10 minutes. 5. Add the soy sauce, and simmer for 5 to 6 minutes. Turn off the heat, and let cool, for 20 minutes. 6. Put in a serving bowl, and top with the snow peas and lemon peel. Pour in some of the simmering liquid. <For Arranging> Ground chicken sauce variation [Ingredients] *Serves 2 150g ground chicken 2 tsp sake 2 tsp soy sauce 1 tbsp potato starch or cornstarch 1 tbsp water 150ml simmering liquid from the kabocha pumpkin 6 snow peas 10g grated ginger [Method] 1. Stir the ground chicken, sake and soy sauce in a pan and mix evenly. Then, turn on the heat. Continuously stirring with chopsticks until it crumbly. 2. The water coming out from the chicken has an odor, so drain it off. 3. Heat the simmering liquid from the kabocha in a saucepan, add the crumbled chicken , and thicken with a potato starch slurry. 4. Pour this thick sauce over the kabocha in a dish, and top with the snow peas and ground ginger. Fried Kabocha Pumpkin and Mushroom Rice [Ingredients] *Serves 2 1 4/5 cups /360ml short-grain rice or sushi rice 440 ml water 1 tbsp mirin 1 tsp kombu-tea powdered 150g kabocha pumpkin 100g maitake mushroom Vegetable oil for frying 1 tsp salt [Method] 1. Place the washed rice, in a saucepan, add water, mirin, and kombu-tea powdered and stir. 2. Bring to a boil over high heat, then cook over low heat for 10 minutes, and turn off the heat to steam for another 10 minutes. 3. Wrap the kabocha with damp paper towels and microwave for 1 minute. 4. Cut the kabocha into 1 cm cubes. Tear or cut the maitake mushrooms into same sized pieces. 5. Deep-fry the kabocha cubes, and deep-fry the mushroom pieces as well. 6. Sprinkle the kabocha and mushrooms with salt in a bowl, mix in the rice, and it's done.