Japanese Pumpkin and Ground Meat Recipe(Kabocha to hiki-niku no Nimono)

Here's a really simple and tasty pumpkin and ground meat recipe. Kabocha to hiki-niku no Nimono(かぼちゃとひき肉の煮物) is a common and healthy side dish at Japanese tables, especially in fall. Japanese pumpkins or squash are small, green, and quite hard. They're really challenging to make a Jack-O-Lantern out of, let me tell you. But they're also delicious. The flesh is yellow or orange. Leave some of the peel on if it's not too hard. This recipe can be used with ground beef, pork, or chicken, whichever you choose. You can also add finely chopped green onion to the meat if you like. The result is a sweet and savory dish. The leftover sauce is great over rice and eat with a spoon.

Serves 5-6       301 cal./serving

Ingredients:

• 2 lb(1kg) Japanese pumpkin/winter squash(kabocha)
• 1/2 lb (225g) ground beef, chicken, or pork
• 5 Tbsp. sugar
• 2 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. soy sauce
• 2 tsp. vegetable oil

Directions:

1. Cut open pumpkin and clean out the middle seeds and fibers and discard. Cut pumpkin into large, bite sized chunks. It's ok to leave some peel.
2. Lightly brown the ground meat in a saucepan with a pinch of salt and just a little oil over medium heat.
3. Add pumpkin and gently mix with ground meat. Then add 1-1/4 cups water, salt, soy sauce, and sugar.
4. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer with lid for about 10 minutes until pumpkin is soft.