In this dish, known as Kabocha Tori-soboro Kake, the mild sweetness of kabocha, similar to that of sweet potato, goes very well with the rich meat sauce.
Halve the kabocha, then remove the seeds and fibre around the seeds. Halve again to make four wedges. Trim the stalky end of the kabocha wedge.
Remove strips of the peel on each of the wedges, cutting off strips lengthways of about 1-2.5cm/½-1in wide. The kabocha wedges will now have green (skin) and yellow (flesh) stripes. This will help preserve the kabocha’s