Perfect Fall Dish: How to Make Japanese Roasted Kabocha Squash

By Just One Cookbook · 35 min

Ingredients

Instructions

1. Set two oven racks to the upper and lower middle positions. Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C). If using a convection oven, reduce the temperature by 25°F (15°C).
2. Scrape out and discard the seeds from 1¾ lb kabocha. Rinse and pat dry; the skin is edible.
3. Cut the squash in half across the middle, remove the stem end if any, then slice thinly, about 3 to 5 mm (⅛ to ⅕ inch) thick.
4. Put the slices in a large bowl with 2 Tbsp oil, ½ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt (half that amount of table salt), and ¼ tsp black pepper. Toss well, then move half the slices to another bowl.
5. To one bowl, sprinkle ½ tsp shichimi togarashi and toss.
6. To the other bowl, add 2 tsp soy sauce and ½ tsp sugar and toss well.
7. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Arrange each batch in a single layer, not crowded, one batch per sheet.
8. Bake at 450°F (230°C) for 10 minutes. Remove the sheets, flip the slices with tongs, then return the sheets, swapping their positions and turning them around. Bake 5 more minutes until fork-tender. Then switch to broil on high for 2 to 3 minutes until slightly charred.
9. Remove the upper sheet. Move the lower sheet to the upper rack and broil on high for 2 minutes.
10. Let the first sheet cool on a wire rack. After 2 minutes, take out the second sheet and let it cool on a wire rack.
11. Serve the roasted kabocha on two plates.

Summarized from Just One Cookbook's video. Watch it for the details.