Cherry & Dennis Recipes
Japanese Kabocha Nimono
日式南瓜煮物
Recipe overview
Japanese Kabocha Nimono is a classic Japanese family nimono. Kabocha means Japanese squash, while nimono means a home dish slowly cooked in seasoned broth. Large pieces retain most of their green skin and gently simmer under a drop lid with dashi, soy sauce, mirin and a little sugar. They become tender yet intact with a small amount of clear amber broth. It is not pumpkin soup, mash, curry, roasted squash or tempura, and uses no starch slurry, butter, cream or dessert-level sugar.
01
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- about 900 g–1 kg: about 750–800 g after seeding; cut into 4–5 cm pieces and retain most skin. Do not use extensively rotten, mouldy, badly soft or foul-smelling squash Japanese kabocha squash
Kabocha simmering broth
- 400 ml: kombu-bonito dashi is suitable; check fish, soy, wheat and other allergens; as listed
- 2 tablespoons: check soy, wheat and sodium Japanese soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons: check alcohol and ingredients mirin
- 1.5 tablespoons: for gentle sweetness only, not dessert sugar
Final flavour adjustment
- up to 1 teaspoon, optional: decide only after tasting finished broth Japanese soy sauce
- 1–2 tablespoons at a time as needed: add only if the base dries too fast drinking water
02
Tools
- 24–26 cm wide deep pot, lid, otoshibuta/drop lid or parchment substitute, wooden spoon, ladle, tongs, large bowl, two medium bowls, two small bowls, measuring cup, tablespoon, teaspoon, scale, large sharp chef’s knife, small peeler, non-slip vegetable board, metal spoon, fine sieve, paper towels, oven mitts and four white small deep plates.
- baking paper
- drop lid
- wooden spoon
- ladle
- tongs
- mixing bowl
- bowl
- small bowl
- measuring cup
- tablespoon
- teaspoon
- digital scale
- knife
- cutting board
- strainer
- kitchen paper
- oven mitts
- serving plate
03
Steps
Step 1
Inspect squash
Reject extensive rot, mould, wet decay or off odour; natural dark-green markings are fine. Wash skin thoroughly with safe drinking water and dry it.
Step 2
Cut safely
Stabilise squash on a non-slip board and use a large sharp knife to cut manageable sections; never cut in the air, point blade at your palm or twist forcibly.
Step 3
Remove seeds and pulp
Use a metal spoon to scrape out all seeds and loose pulp, leaving firm orange-yellow flesh.
Step 4
Cut 4–5 cm pieces
Cut even 4–5 cm pieces; keep most green skin on every piece to hold its shape.
Step 5
Partly peel and round
Remove only one or two small skin strips on each piece for flavour absorption; lightly round sharp corners to reduce breakage.
Step 6
Mix broth
Combine dashi, soy sauce, mirin and sugar in a medium bowl, stirring until sugar mostly dissolves.
Step 7
Arrange one layer
Arrange squash skin-down or on its side in one layer in the wide pot, leaving small gaps and avoiding piles.
Step 8
Add broth
Pour broth around the pot edge so it reaches only one-half to two-thirds of the squash height, not fully submerging it.
Step 9
Boil and cover
Heat over medium until broth begins boiling, immediately lower to medium-low and place the drop lid so broth circulates over surfaces.
Step 10
Gently simmer
Keep only small bubbles over medium-low heat for 12–15 minutes; do not boil hard or turn pieces repeatedly, though you may gently rotate the pot.
Step 11
Check and turn off
Gently pierce the thickest flesh with a chopstick, skewer or small knife; turn off when it enters easily but pieces stay intact, leaving a little clear amber broth.
Step 12
Rest and serve
Keep the drop lid or lid on and rest in broth about 10 minutes. Use ladle and tongs carefully; serve 3–4 pieces each with a little broth.
Common mistakes
- Using mouldy or rotten squash.；Not washing the skin.；Cutting without drying after washing.；Cutting hard squash while holding it in the air.；Forcing a dull knife through hard squash.；Pointing the blade toward the palm.；Leaving seeds and loose pulp.；Cutting very uneven pieces.；Peeling away all skin.；Cutting pieces too small.；Leaving sharp corners to collide hard.；Using too much soy sauce.；Using lots of sugar as dessert.；Using enough broth to submerge everything.；Piling squash high in the pot.；Boiling hard throughout.；Never using a drop lid.；Constantly turning squash.；Serving before tender.；Overcooking into mash.；Adding starch for thick gravy.；Continuing after the base dries out.；Moving pieces roughly straight after cooking.；Leaving cooked squash at room temperature too long.
Tips
Reject mouldy, rotten or foul-smelling squash.；Wash the skin thoroughly.；Dry it before cutting.；Use a stable non-slip board.；Use a large sharp knife.；First cut manageable sections.；Never cut in the air.；Scrape out seeds and loose pulp fully.；Keep pieces about 4–5 cm.；Keep most green skin.；Peel only small strips.；Lightly round sharp corners.；Mix broth completely first.；Arrange one layer where possible.；Place skin-down or sideways.；Broth reaches only half to two-thirds high.；Lower to medium-low once boiling.；Use a drop lid.；Keep only gentle bubbles.；Do not keep turning pieces.；Begin checking at 12–15 minutes.；Easy chopstick entry means nearly done.；Pieces must still hold shape.；Rest in broth about 10 minutes after heat off.；Refrigerate leftovers promptly and reheat thoroughly.
