Stuffed Kabocha Squash

By Mari Fujii, Author,The Enlightened Kitchen: Fresh Vegetable Dishes from the Temples of Japan

Serves 2

3/4 pounds kabocha (or 1/4 cut)
2 ouinces firm tofu
1 ounce small carrots, chopped
2 dried shiitake,chopped
1 tablespoon white sesame
1 tablespoon corn starch
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon mirin
1/2 cup kombu stock
salt to taste

1. Remove seeds by scraping the inside of kabocha with a spoon, discard the seeds.

2. Cook carrot and shitake with 1 tablespoon soy sauce, mirin, 1/2 cup kombu stock in a pot.

3. To make tofu filling, place some weight on top of tofu for ten to fifteen minutes to drain some of the water, then mix with ground sesame seeds and corn starch. Add cooked carrot and dried shitake, salt to taste.

4. Fill the kabocha with tofu filling, place it in a microwave for twenty minutes covering with plastic wrap. Cut the cooked Kabocha before serve.

Chef Note: I found this recipe to be very useful for parties since it’s very simple to make (combine the ingredients to make the filling, stuff and cook) and also easy to make in large quantities.