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We usually reserve pumpkin and squash for the end of the meal, puréed into a pie or sweet treat, but this autumnal delight can also be savory, like in this recipe for Simmered Squash. A squash of your choosing is simmering in a soy-based stock until tender for a taste of the fall that you haven’t expected.
This method of boiling squash in a sweet and savory sauce hails from Japan, where kabocha are cooked and baked in a variety of ways. This stovetop method is a quick way to inject flavor into a seasonal treat.
What’s great about this recipe is that it can be altered with the squash available at the store. It’s great with acorn squash, kabocha, and butternut squash. If you can get your hands on a sugar pumpkin, it’d also be a great option as well. The key to this recipe is not about the variety of squash you choose but how the squash or pumpkin are cut up into even pieces.
After placing the cut-up pieces in a big pot, add the stock. While the squash is a flexible ingredient, the stock ingredients are not. Traditionally this dish is made with dashi as a base which is a stock made of seaweed kelp and dried bonito flakes. Since that might not be an option for everyone, a low-sodium chicken stock is a great alternative. Next, sake, mirin, and soy sauce are whisked into the stock and carefully poured into the pot.
Once the squash and stock come to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cover. Depending upon the squash and the size of the cut, the squash’s cooking time can change, but here the 1 1/2-inch cut pieces took around twenty to twenty-five minutes. Once the squash is fork-tender, turn off the heat to let the squash rest, and absorb all of the remaining stock for five minutes.
Simmered squash is a great way to utilize squash without having to take a long time as it does with traditional oven recipes. It’s a great way to get a healthy side to the dinner table without crazy prep.
The sweet flavors of the squash are enhanced by the mirin and countered by the savory stock and soy sauce.
This squash is tender and a great partner to any main you have planned for dinner!
Simmered Squash
Yield(s): Serves about 4
5m prep time
30m cook time
Allergens: Soy
you're making mealtime meaningful.
Ingredients
- 2 cups dashi or chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons sake
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon mirin
- 1/2 kabocha or acorn squash or any similar squash (about 1 lbs), deseeded, cut into large 1 1/2 -inch chunks
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
Preparation
- In a large bowl combine stock, sake, soy sauce, and mirin, whisking to combine.
- In a medium pot, add in squash pieces in a single layer.
- Pour the stock mixture over the squash.
- Cover the pot and put the pot on a medium heat and bring to a boil.
- Reduce to a simmer and cook until the squash are softened and can be pierced with a fork, about 15 to 20 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and let the squash sit in the liquid to absorb more of the flavor, about 5 minutes.
- Season with salt and pepper, if needed, serve, and enjoy!
Recipe adapted from Carloine's Cooking.