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What You Need:
(To Serve: 8 to 10)
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1 pumpkin (about 6 pounds)
1 teaspoon ajishio (equal parts salt and MSG)
4 medium-sized shiitake (dried Japanese mushrooms)
5 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon Japanese all-purpose soy sauce
1¾ cups niban dashi
¼ cup sake (rice wine)
1 teaspoon usukuchi shoyu, or substitute ¾ teaspoon Japanese all-purpose soy sauce
18 small shrimp in their shells (26 to 30 to a pound)
Salt
16 to 20 snow peas, or substitute 16 to 20 string beans
1 tablespoon mirin (sweet sake), or substitute 2 teaspoons pale dry sherry
30 canned ginnan (ginkgo nuts)
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Translate this recipe:
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| How To Cook: |
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1. Scrub the pumpkin vigorously under cold running water with a stiff brush. With a large, sharp knife, cut off the top of the pumpkin to make a lid, leaving the stem intact as a handle. Remove the lid and, with a large metal spoon, scrape the seeds and stringy fibers from the lid and pumpkin shell.
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2. With a melon-ball cutter or small spoon, scoop out small balls of pumpkin meat, but leave a ¾ -to l-inch-thick wall of the flesh intact in the shell. Set the pumpkin balls aside.
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3. Sprinkle the flesh side of the lid and the inside walls of the pumpkin evenly with ajishio.
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4. To give the pumpkin a preliminary steaming place it and its lid in a colander with small supports, and set the colander in a deep pot large enough to enclose it completely.
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5. Pour enough water into the pot to come within 1½ inches of the bottom of the colander, and bring the water to a boil over high heat. Then cover the pot tightly, and steam the pumpkin for 10 minutes. Remove the colander and pumpkin from the pot and set them aside.
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6. Place the shiitake in a small saucepan and soak in 1 cup of cold water for about 1 hour. Bring to a boil, then simmer uncovered for 15 minutes. Cool to room temperature, strain the liquid into a bowl and set it aside. Remove and discard the hard stems; cut the mushrooms into 16 or 20 half inch pieces.
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7. In a 1-quart saucepan, combine ½ cup of the mushroom liquid with 1tablespoon of sugar and 1 tablespoon of soy sauce. Bring to a boil over high heat, add the mushrooms and, stirring frequently, cook briskly, uncovered, for 10 to 20 minutes, or until all of the liquid has evaporated. Set aside.
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8. In a 2-quart saucepan, combine 1 cup of the niban dashi, 2 tablespoons of the sugar, ¾ teaspoon salt and the pumpkin balls. Bring to a boil, stir in 1 tablespoon of sake and sprinkle lightly with MSG. Boil uncovered for 5 minutes, then remove the pumpkin balls with a slotted spoon.
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9. Reduce the liquid in the pan by boiling it over high heat until it becomes thick syrup. Watch for any sign of burning and regulate the heat accordingly. Then stir in 1 teaspoon of usukuchi shoyu, remove from the heat, and stir in the pumpkin balls.
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10. In a 2-quart saucepan, bring 2 cups of salted water to a boil, drop in the shrimp and boil for 3 or 4 minutes. Drain in a colander and run cold water over the shrimp to stop their cooking. Peel the shrimp and make a shallow incision along their backs with a small, sharp knife. Remove the intestinal vein with the tip of the knife. Cut the shrimp in half crosswise.
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11. In a 2-quart saucepan, combine ½ cup niban dashi, 2 tablespoons sake, 2 tablespoons sugar and ¾ teaspoon salt, and sprinkle lightly with MSG. Bring to a boil and cook down to about half the volume. Remove from the heat. Add the shrimp, stir to moisten them thoroughly and set the pan aside.
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12. In a 1-quart saucepan, bring 1 cup of salted water to a boil. Drop in the snow peas (or string beans), return to a boil, then drain in a sieve. Run cold water over the peas (or beans) to cool them quickly and set their color.
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13. Combine ¼ cup niban dashi, 1 tablespoon sake, 1/8 teaspoon salt and a sprinkle of MSG in the saucepan and bring to a boil. Drop in the flavored snow peas (or beans), return to the boil, then remove from the heat. Cool by placing the pan in a large bowl of cold water.
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14. In the 1-quart pan, combine 1 tablespoon of mirin, 1/8 teaspoon of salt, a sprinkle of MSG and the ginkgo nuts. Cook over high heat for 1to 2 minutes, shaking the pan almost constantly until all the liquid evaporates. Remove from the heat.
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15. With a large knife, cut a thin slice from the base of the pumpkin to prevent it from rocking. Place the mushrooms, pumpkin balls, shrimp, snow peas and ginkgo nuts in the pumpkin, cover with the pumpkin lid, and carefully transfer it to the colander.
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16. Return the colander to its pot, add enough water to come within 1½ inches of the bottom of the colander, and bring the water to a boil. Cover the pan tightly and steam 5 minutes, then serve at once.
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