I was not familiar with butternut squash when I moved to the US. It looked cute but I had no idea what the inside looked like! But, it has been getting popular among Japanese over the past several years and now we can see it in the grocery more often in Japan.
Compared to the most common squash in Japan, which is buttercup squash (kuri-kabocha), the butternut squash has smoother texture and is more watery (less starchy). After I realized these differences, I thought it would be perfect for making surinagashi (a puree soup commonly used in Japanese vegan cuisine).
I love to explore the potential of different ingredients for Japanese cooking. It is fun and adventurous!
INGREDIENTS (for 2 servings)
350g butternut squash
500ml vegan dashi (konbu/shiitake)
(a) 2 Tsp Shiro Miso (white miso)
(a) 3/4 Tsp Usukuchi (light) soy sauce
(a) 1/4 Tsp yuzu juice (or to taste)
(a) Pinch of sea salt (to taste)
DIRECTIONS
1. Cut butternut squash into 2-inch sections and put them on an oven tray lined with parchment paper. Cover with tin foil.
2. Place a second tray filled with water on the bottom rack of the oven, then bake at 365 degrees for 50 min. or until cooked thoroughly. Leave it in the oven to cool down.
3. Prepare vegan dashi. Peel the skin from the squash and dice into ½ inch cubes. Add the squash and all of (a) into the dashi. Boil for about 15 minutes.
4. Finally, blend everything together until it is silky smooth. We use a Vitamix but any tool is fine. Garnish as desired - we use fried mochi and a crab furikake (sprinkle) from Fukui Prefecture.
Enjoy!