In this blog I will introduce you to a delicious type of pumpkin you might not have tried before -Kabocha, the most popular pumpkin in Japan! But don't worry, even though it is a Japanese favourite you can still get it in supermarkets in England.
When I found it the first time couple years ago I was very excited, because you can do anything with it. It is good for meals and good for cakes etc.
What is different from normal pumpkin/squash is the texture of the Kabocha. It has a potato-esque feel to it, but is much sweeter (and tastier!)
My favourite thing to do with this delicious type of squash? Add it to an Ankake sauce, it is a fantastic combination! Ankake is a Japanese favourite - a sauce that is thickened with starch and often added to stir-fries. With Ankake there is normally more sauce than usual stir fries, but is traditionally thickened with potato starch so it is not watery!
I will start by preparing the Kabocha with the microwave (high power) for five minutes ( quarter it and place in microwavable dish and cling film).
Slicing cooked Kabocha is much easier as it can be so hard to cut, so please be careful with your fingers.
For the thickened Japanese Ankake sauce you will need:
- 400ml water
- Dashi powder 1 tsp
- 12 prawns ( cut pieces)
- Fresh ginger 1tsp (small pieces or grated)
- 2 spring onions (small slices)
- Soy sauce 1 and half tsp
- Salt ( as seasoning)
- Corn Flour 4tsp (Potato flour 2 tbs)
- Water 2 tsp
- Put all the ingredients into saucepan, apart from last two ingredients. (corn flour and water)
- Gently simmer to cook prawns
- Mix corn flour and water in a small bowl and make into a white liquid. Pour into the saucepan to make thickened the sauce. (If the sauce is not thick enough, you can add more corn flour and water)
That is all! You can pour the sauce onto cooked Kabocha.
You can substitute prawn for minced pork if you like. I would say about 250g of minced pork to do this meal.
Ankake sauce is very popular in Japan. As I mentioned, ideal is potato flour to be thickened up, which is very common in Japan. However you can use corn flour if you can't find it. ( I used corn flour this time, too!)
Also please use Japanese soy sauce when you make Japanese meal. The taste of soy sauce is different depending on whether it is Chinese or Japanese.
I used Black and White Sushi Gift Set Tableware today. It is slightly deeper than normal plate, so that this Ankake sauce type meal is good as well.
Thank you for reading! (Arigato!)
Have a lovely weekend!
Nai
The Japanese Shop
