KitchenNippon

Ingredients for 4 Servings
Kabocha (かぼちゃ / Kabocha) 1/8 (large kabocha)
Japanese eggplant (なす / Nasu) 1
Daikon (大根 / Daikon) 1/6
Green onion (長ネギ / Naga-negi) 3 cm
Carrot (にんじん / Ninjin) 1/4
Firm tōfu (木綿豆腐 / Momendōfu) 1/2 block
Ginger (しょうが / Shōga) 1 section (about 10 g)
Sesame oil (ごま油 / Goma-abura) Little less than 2 tbsp
※Soup stock (だし汁/ Dashi-jiru) 800 cc
Shichimi tōgarashi (七味唐辛子 / Shichimi tōgarashi) Pinch

Seasonings (調味料 / Chōmiryō)
Salt (塩/ Shio) 1/2 tsp
Soy sauce (醤油 / Shōyu) 1～1 1/2 tbsp
Sake (酒 / Sake) 2 tbsp
Hon mirin (みりん / Hon mirin) 2 tsp

※Soup stock, or dashi-jiru, is traditionally prepared with konbu (kelp), katsuobushi (smoked, dried bonito), and water, but it can also be made with prepared ingredient packs (like teabags) sold in stores. To make stock with these packs, boil 1,200 ml (about 5 cups) of water, add two dashi packs, simmer over low heat for 3 minutes, and remove the dashi packs.

How to Make
1. Cut the kabocha, eggplant, and daikon into quarter-rounds about 1 cm thick. Cut the carrot into rounds about 1 cm thick and use a flower-shaped cutter to cut out carrot flowers. Julienne the ginger and chop the green onion into small pieces.
2. Add the sesame oil to a soup pot, place the pot on medium heat and begin cooking the ginger. Once you begin to smell the aroma of the ginger, add the carrots, kabocha, daikon, and eggplant in that order.
3. Add the soup stock and seasonings. Let the pot come to a boil.
4. Let the pot simmer on low heat for 15 minutes, then break the tōfu into small pieces and add it to the pot. Taste and add a bit of soy sauce if you want more flavor.
5. Serve in bowls and garnish with green onion. Add shichimi tōgarashi to taste.

Tomoko teaches both small groups and individuals the basics of making home-style Japanese meals at home.

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