Japanese · side

Kabocha no Nimono (Pumpkin Simmered in Dashi)

Kabocha no Nimono (Pumpkin Simmered in Dashi) reads salinity 5.5, umami 5.5 and sweetness 5.3 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Japanese side, about 50 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

• Umami & Savory — 6.4 / 10
• Sweet & Fruity — 5.7 / 10
• Sour & Bright — 0.9 / 10
• Bitter & Earthy — 1.6 / 10
• Rich & Fat — 2.5 / 10
• Aromatic & Spice — 1.6 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Salinity 5.5 · Umami 5.5 · Sweetness 5.3 · Funk & Ferment 3.1 · Richness 1.9 · Nutty 1.8 · Earthy 1.6 · Floral 1.5 · Fruity 1.3 · Sourness 0.8 · Bitterness 0.6 · Citrus 0.5

What's in it (8)

• squash — 800 g
• ichiban dashi — 300 g
• sake — 30 g
• mirin — 22 g
• caster sugar — 13 g
• soy sauce — 15 g
• salt — 3 g
• white sesame seeds — 5 g

Time & effort: about 50 min (30 min active) · effort: easy

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 27.8 kcal, 0.5 g protein, 0.4 g fat, 5.9 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat · Contains seafood — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (5 steps)

1. Pare away small patches of the green skin here and there with a knife, leaving most of it on. The bare patches let seasoning in and stop the wedges splitting, while the remaining skin holds each piece together; a fully peeled kabocha collapses into the broth.
2. Bevel the sharp cut edges of each wedge by shaving them off with a knife (mentori). This is not fussiness. Sharp corners knock against each other and crumble, and crumbled kabocha clouds the dashi.
3. Lay the wedges skin-side down in a single layer in a pan just wide enough to hold them. Pour over the dashi and sake, which should come no more than halfway up, add the sugar, salt and mirin, and bring to a boil.
4. Set a drop lid directly on the surface, turn the heat to low and simmer 12 minutes. Add the usukuchi soy and simmer 5 to 8 minutes more, until a skewer goes in with almost no resistance and the flesh at the edges has turned a deep orange-gold. Usukuchi soy is used rather than dark soy so the colour of the squash survives.
5. Turn off the heat and leave the pan covered for 20 minutes. The wedges will drink up most of the remaining liquid as they cool, which is when nimono is actually seasoned. Serve two or three wedges per person at room temperature, sesame seeds scattered over, with the small amount of remaining broth spooned around.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

• Yakitori (焼き鳥) — Japanese
• Kiriboshi Daikon no Nimono (Simmered Dried Daikon Strips) — Japanese
• Horenso no Goma-ae (Spinach Dressed in Ground Sesame) — Japanese
• Chikuzenni (Simmered Chicken and Root Vegetables) — Japanese
• Tamagoyaki (玉子焼き) — Japanese

Keep reading: what salinity, umami, sweetness mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.