Searching for a fast and scrumptious approach to take pleasure in kabocha squash? Do that Japanese-style Roasted Kabocha Squash that’s thinly sliced and oven-baked till barely charred and fork-tender. Right here, I present you how one can calmly taste it two methods: with shichimi togarashi spice mix and with sweetened soy sauce. These basic Japanese seasonings each improve the pure sweetness and delightful taste of the kabocha.
Come fall, I’m all about kabocha squash. One of many best and scrumptious methods to take pleasure in this seasonal gem? Merely roasting it in a sizzling oven. It roasts up superbly, with edible crispy pores and skin and a tremendous caramelizing buttery texture. With easy Japanese seasonings, it makes the proper fall dish to treasure. Right here’s how one can cook dinner roasted kabocha squash!

What’s Kabocha Squash?
Kabocha (かぼちゃ, 南瓜), or Japanese pumpkin, is a beloved Japanese winter squash identified for its distinctive sweetness, wealthy taste, and flexibility. It has a tricky outer pores and skin, however as soon as cooked, the pores and skin turns into edible and the flesh creamy, fluffy and tender. The flavour will remind you of a hybrid of candy potato and butternut squash with a touch of roasted chestnut. Kabocha can be extremely nutritious, which makes it an amazing addition to your weight loss plan for the season.
You possibly can simply discover kabocha squash within the US nowadays—both at farmers markets or mainstream grocery shops. Japanese grocery shops really carry kabocha year-round!

In case you’re new to kabocha, be taught extra about this Japanese squash right here.
Standard Japanese Kabocha Recipes
Kabocha has lengthy been a staple of Japanese delicacies, particularly in the course of the wintertime. There’s a custom of consuming kabocha to remain robust and convey good luck in the course of the winter solstice. So what are the preferred methods to take pleasure in kabocha in Japan? Listed here are the highest 10 recipes.
Have been you stunned that roasted kabocha just isn’t on the record? Baking or roasting greens within the oven just isn’t a typical cooking methodology in Japan because of the small kitchen house. Extra individuals have a countertop oven of their kitchen nowadays, but it’s nonetheless a much less widespread preparation.
Since I really like roasted greens (I do know, squash is technically a vegetable) throughout this time of yr, I’ll share how I put together roasted kabocha for my household.

Japanese Roasted Kabocha – 2 Scrumptious Flavors!
As with all squashes, roasted kabocha squash is wonderful with simply salt and pepper, however I like to taste it with a contact of Japanese aptitude. All you want:
As you see, it’s actually easy, but it’s efficient to convey out the pure kabocha taste. Kabocha already has a wonderful taste by itself, so it’s greatest to maintain the seasonings easy and minimal. The squash itself is nice sufficient and there’s no must sweeten it additional with maple syrup.
You probably have cooked Japanese dishes, it’s best to have Japanese soy sauce already, and possibly shichimi togarashi, too. I hope you give each flavors a attempt!

Find out how to Prepare dinner Japanese Roasted Kabocha
Components You’ll Want
- Kabocha
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Oil
- Taste 1: Shichimi togarashi (Japanese seven spice)
- Taste 2: Soy sauce + a little bit little bit of sugar
Overview: Cooking Steps
- Take away seeds and minimize kabocha. Sure, we minimize it into skinny wedges in order that we will eat the roasted kabocha with chopsticks. If you’re going to eat this dish with a fork, you can minimize the kabocha into thicker slices, however the roasting time shall be longer.
- Toss the kabocha slices with oil, salt, and black pepper. Sprinkle shichimi togarashi (possibility 1) or add soy sauce and sugar (possibility 2) and toss to coat.
- Bake the kabocha till tender.

Tricks to Make the Greatest Roasted Kabocha
- Lower the kabocha right into a uniform form and measurement (a pointy knife is necessary). Be sure that the kabocha slices have an excellent thickness and measurement, as this may assist to attain excellent doneness on the identical time. Learn this put up on how one can minimize kabocha.
- Dry the kabocha with a paper towel to take away any extra moisture. It’s essential to maintain the vegetable dry for roasting, so it roast up good and crisp.
- Use your arms and a giant bowl to toss the kabocha and coat it with oil. It’s also possible to do that on the baking sheet in the event you’re making one taste of the roasted kabocha. Kabocha slices must be well-coated with a skinny layer of oil. Don’t simply drizzle the oil from the bottle and begin baking.
- Roast at 450ºF (230ºC) for quarter-hour, after which broil for 2-3 minutes for deep char. I like to recommend utilizing a better baking temperature than the standard 425ºF (218ºC) for roasting greens. So that you get a pleasant char and the kabocha doesn’t get too mushy.
- Rotate the baking sheet midway by way of. Don’t neglect to change across the baking sheet in the event you’re baking two sheets within the oven on the identical time.
- Broil or bake on a better rack for further good char. For crispy edges, swap to a broiler or bake further jiffy towards the tip.

What to Serve Roasted Kabocha with

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Japanese Roasted Kabocha Squash
Searching for a fast and scrumptious approach to take pleasure in kabocha squash? Do that Japanese-style Roasted Kabocha Squash that is thinly sliced and oven-baked till barely charred and fork-tender. Right here, I present you how one can calmly taste it two methods: with shichimi togarashi spice mix and with sweetened soy sauce. These basic Japanese seasonings each improve the pure sweetness and delightful taste of the kabocha.
Components
For the Sweetened Soy Sauce Taste
Directions
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Collect all of the substances. Set two oven racks on the higher prime and decrease center positions. Preheat the oven to 450ºF (230ºC). For a convection oven, scale back the cooking temperature by 25ºF (15ºC).
To Put together the Kabocha
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Utilizing a spoon, scrape out and discard the seeds from the kabocha. The kabocha pores and skin is edible and nutritious, so rinse and pat it dry with a paper towel.
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Lower the kabocha in half widthwise, slicing by way of the center of the U-shaped piece. Lower off the stem finish, if any. Tip: When the kabocha items are shorter, the knife can slice by way of extra simply.
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Slice the kabocha thinly, about ⅛ to ⅕ inch (3-5 mm) thick.
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Switch the kabocha slices to a big bowl. Add the oil, salt, and pepper.
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Utilizing your arms (or a spoon), toss the kabocha with the oil and seasonings to coat nicely. Then, switch half of the slices to a different bowl.
To Add the Shichimi Togarashi
To Add the Sweetened Soy Sauce