I have tried to make this dish several times since coming home from studying abroad and it's never turned out quite as good as my host mom's. One time I translated a recipe from a Japanese cookbook and that went OK but not great. I tried Amy Kaneko's recipe from her book Let's Cook Japanese Food! and that had good results if I remember right (it's her Japanese father-in-law's recipe!) but I thought I'd give Just One Cookbook's recipe a try as well since I've had good luck with her recipes.
Notes:
- I think leaving the skin on is the way to go. The squash gets quite soft during the cooking process and the skin helps hold it together and prevent it from completely disintegrating. I've peeled the squash completely before and the pieces stayed much more intact.
- I do not have a proper otoshibuta (drop lid) and my foil ones in the past haven't turned out quite right. I used a clean regular pot lid that fit just inside the cooking pan and rested it on the surface of the food as it cooked. This didn't work well and I don't recommend it (see below).
Verdict: It was kind of bland but I think that's because I didn't cook it right. Overall I'm not sure I did the drop-lid thing right and less liquid evaporated during cooking than was supposed to, and that's why it turned out kind of bland. After it was done cooking and I realized it was too watery, I removed the squash from the pan and reduced the cooking liquid, and once cooled poured it over the squash and let it sit overnight in the fridge. It was not quite as good as if I had cooked it correctly, but it was much more enjoyable to eat than right after it was cooked.
RECIPE: Simmered Kabocha Squash
