Kabocha soboroni is a simmered Japanese kabocha recipe with ground meat and seasoned broth. Like a kabocha stew, this squash dish is great as a side or main.
What is Japanese Kabocha?
Kabocha is a type of squash from Japan, essentially a Japanese pumpkin. Unlike pumpkins you use for jack-o-lanterns, kabocha has a thin green skin. Their flesh is still a vibrant orange, which makes kabocha foods very striking in appearance. Kabocha are generally smaller in size than jack-o-lantern pumpkins, generally ranging from 2-5 lbs. These days I can find kabocha in the fall at my local Trader Joe’s, but if you don’t see it at your markets, it looks like Amazon also sells kabocha through their grocery delivery.
For this recipe, I actually use frozen kabocha that has already been cut into 2-3 inch chunks. This significantly cuts down on cook time as preparing a whole kabocha can take some time. I can only find frozen kabocha at my local Japanese market and not online, so unfortunately, if you don’t have a Japanese market near you, you may need to cook a whole kabocha.
How do Japanese Eat Kabocha?
Kabocha is a super common ingredient in Japanese dishes in the fall! There’s a very popular kabocha dish called kabocha no nimono, which is a simmered kabocha in seasoned broth. In fact, this kabocha soboroni is a version of kabocha no nimono, except in this recipe, ground meat is added and the seasoning broth gets thickened to become like a stew.
You can also eat kabocha in creamy soups, in tempura, as hot pot food, or a topping in miso soup.
How to Cook Kabocha
If you’re using frozen kabocha that’s precut, cooking kabocha is so easy. Just stick it directly into the pot with seasoning liquid and cook for about 10 minutes.
If you’re cooking from a whole fresh kabocha, there’s a little more prep work involved. First, you’ll need to microwave your kabocha until it’s soft enough to slice. Then you scoop out the seeds, just like with a pumpkin. Finally, you cut your kabocha into chunks or slices according to your recipe.
This recipe only calls for just under a pound of kabocha, so if you’re using a 3 lb squash, you’ll have plenty of leftover. You can freeze it and use it in miso soup as needed or you can use it in other squash recipes!
By the way, my recipe also calls just for 100g of ground chicken. Usually I buy a whole pound of ground meat at a time, so I usually serve this dish with a side of mapo tofu and use the rest of the ground meat with the tofu. It’s perfect!
Is it OK to Eat Kabocha Skin?
Yes! Kabocha skin is very thin and totally edible!
More Pumpkin and Kabocha Recipes
Looking for more ways to use pumpkin and kabocha? Check these out:
Japanese Kabocha with Ground Meat (Kabocha no Soboroni)
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp grated ginger
- 100 g ground chicken
- 300 mL water
- 1 tsp dashi powder
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 1/2 tbsp sugar
- 1 1/2 tbsp mirin
- 400 g frozen kabocha chunks see note for cooking fresh kabocha
- 1/2 tbsp katakuriko or cornstarch
- 1 tbsp water
- oil for sautéing
Instructions
- In a pot, heat oil. Add grated ginger and stir until fragrant, a few seconds.
- Add ground chicken and stir, breaking up the meat into small pieces.
- Mix 300mL water with dashi powder, soy sauce, mirin, and sugar. When chicken is mostly cooked, add seasoning mixture.
- Add frozen kabocha chunks to pot. Bring pot to a gentle simmer and cook for 10 minutes or until you can easily pierce through kabocha with a fork.
- While kabocha is cooking, make a slurry by mixing katakuriko (or cornstarch) with remaining tbsp of water.
- When kabocha is done, remove the kabocha pieces from the pot and into your serving bowl. Add slurry and stir, cooking to thicken the seasoning sauce to your tastes. When sauce is thickened to your liking, pour over your kabocha pieces. (Note: I am often lazy and instead of removing the kabocha, I just stir the slurry right into the cooking pot and serve from there)
- Serve immediately as a main or side dish with rice.
Notes
- If using a fresh whole kabocha, wash your whole kabocha and place in a microwave safe dish. Cover with another microwave safe dish or with a plastic covering safe to use in the microwave. Microwave your kabocha for 7-10 minutes, flipping the kabocha halfway through, or until the rind is soft enough to cut through with a kitchen knife. A 4 lb kabocha takes about 7 minutes to get soft. Remember that 400g of kabocha is a little less than 1lb, so you’ll need to save the rest of your kabocha for soup or another recipe. When kabocha is cooled enough to handle, slice in half and scoop out the seeds. Then continue to slice kabocha into smaller pieces. This will add at least 20 minutes to your prep time, but as your kabocha will already be pretty soft, you can decrease the time it takes to cook the kabocha in your seasoning liquid.