Familiar Flavors in Kabocha Stew

By: Taylor Ingman, GVJCI Marketing and Social Media Intern

Fall is the perfect time for kabocha and comfort food! This kabocha stew is guaranteed to keep you warm and cozy as the weather starts to cool down. This tasty stew is a great dish to share with close friends and family, especially during fall and winter. I took these pictures the other day when my mom and I made a large batch for our family; we brought some to her parents and brother as well, who all agreed it was oishii (delicious)! I love to make this stew with my mom-- the familiar Japanese flavors in this dish such as dashi and mirin (and of course, kabocha) remind me of eating Japanese food with my family. These classic ingredients will fill your kitchen with the nostalgic scent of a homemade Japanese meal. As my younger brother once said, this recipe smells like our grandparents' kitchen in the best way possible!

Ingredients:
1 small kabocha
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup sake
1/4 cup dashi
3 tbsp brown sugar
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp mirin
Vegetables (we used carrots, onion, and green beans)
Rib eye steak or prime rib
Harusame (glass) noodles (optional)

Preparation:
Optional: Boil harusame noodles until soft (around 3 minutes). Strain and rinse with cold water, then set aside for later.

1. Wash and cut kabocha into small chunks, removing insides.
2. Cut green beans and onions into small pieces. Peel carrots and cut into slices.

3. Thinly slice the steak (we used rib eye steak).

4. Add kabocha to a medium sized pot with vegetable oil. Use enough vegetable oil to cover all the chunks (they should be shiny).

5. When the kabocha has softened a little, add the rest of the vegetables to the pot. Add more oil to cover the vegetables.
6. Once the vegetables have softened slightly, add the steak to the pot. Cook until the meat has browned.

7. Add dashi and water to the pot. When the mixture begins to boil, add sake, soy sauce, mirin, and brown sugar.
8. Mix thoroughly and add harusame noodles if desired.
9. Serve hot with rice and enjoy! I sometimes like to sprinkle roasted sesame seeds on top. Itadakimasu (let's eat)!

This recipe is a modified version of the Nikujaga recipe from Chopstick Chronicles, using kabocha instead of potatoes and harusame (glass) noodles instead of konnyaku noodles; the measurements are slightly different as well. The original recipe can be found here: https://bit.ly/3pTOgAj.