Winter Melon Soup (Togan Squash Ankake)

Togan bacon edamame ankake（冬瓜ベーコン枝豆あんかけ）

What kind of dish is Togan bacon edamame ankake??

togan = Winter melon edamame = green soybeans

This is a recipe for togan squash soup. The ingredients are winter melon, edamame, and bacon, and the soup base is made with dried shiitake mushrooms.

The texture of the winter melon after cooking is so soft that it melts in your mouth.

The biggest selling point of this recipe is the wonderful texture created by glazing the winter melon with a slightly thick soup.

In addition, the dashi soup using dried shiitake mushrooms is very fragrant and greatly enhances the flavor of the soup. (If possible, use the dried shiitake mushrooms of the donko variety. Donko is a specialty of Oita Prefecture and makes a very good dashi soup.)

Winter melon is said to have a cooling effect on the body. The ornithine contained in edamame has a positive effect on the liver.

This soup is delicious even when chilled, so it is a perfect recipe for summer, when appetite is reduced and beer consumption increases.

Winter melon is a huge vegetable that weighs over 2kg and tastes like a cucumber. Depending on the season, you can buy it in the supermarket cut into quarters.

It has a light taste, but because of that it does not interfere with the taste of other ingredients and goes well with any other ingredients.

The most popular dish that uses winter melon in Japan is eggplant, minced meat, and winter melon boiled with soy sauce and sugar.

Winter melon also goes well with consommé soup and Chinese soup. In that case, kanikama (Japanese crab sticks), corn, green onions, and scallops are recommended ingredients to use with it.

If you have any leftover winter melon, you can use it in a variety of dishes, so please try making dishes using winter melon.

What kind of food is Togan??

Winter melon is a vegetable that belongs to the cucurbit family. It has a large cylindrical shape with bright green skin and white flesh. It has a very fresh and light taste, and when simmered, it becomes a simmering texture.

From the name, it is easy to think that winter is the season, but summer is the peak harvest season. It is called winter melon because if harvested in the summer and stored properly, it will last until winter.

Although it is native to India, it is a vegetable that has been popular in Japan since the Heian period. Scoop out the white part inside with a spoon. If you peel the skin thinly, it won’t fall apart when cooked and will have a jade-colored finish.

Over 90% of winter melon is water. Rich in nutrients such as potassium and vitamin C, it is useful for eliminating swelling and maintaining healthy skin.

In addition, the dried seeds are used in Indian Ayurveda to suppress coughs and reduce fever.

NUTRITION FACTS of Winter Melon Soup (Togan Squash With Bacon Edamame Ankake)

• 615 Calories Protein 22.9 g Total Fat 31.2 g Total Carbohydrates 66.5 g Sodium 8.2 g

INGREDIENTS for Winter Melon Soup (Togan Squash With Bacon Edamame Ankake) (6SERINVGS)

• Winter melon 1kg (Before removing the skin and seeds.)
  • Water 200g
• Dried shiitake mushrooms 10g
  • Water 500g
• Bacon 70g
• Edamame 130g (Before removing the skin. )
• ☆Light soy sauce 30g
• ☆Sugar 10g
• ☆Mirin 15g
• ☆Dashi stock granules 5g
• Potato starch 8g
  • Water 50g

Winter Melon Soup (Togan Squash With Bacon Edamame Ankake) COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

1. Soak the dried shiitake mushrooms in 20°C water for about 40 minutes.
2. Lightly squeeze out the water from dried shiitake mushrooms before cutting them. (Do not discard the soaking water.)
3. Slice the dried shiitake mushrooms that have softened by soaking them in water into thin strips. (Cut off the stems of the shiitake mushrooms.)
4. Remove the seeds from the winter melon with a spoon.
5. Peel the skin off the winter melon with a knife. You can also use a peeler, but in any case, the skin is tough, so be careful not to injure your hands.
6. Cut the winter melon into half-moon shapes 4-5cm wide.
7. Cut the winter melon into pieces about 25g in size.
8. Put the winter melon and water in a pot and boil for 5 minutes.
9. Once the winter melon is cooked, discard the water.
10. Cut the bacon into 1cm-wide strips.
11. Put the winter melon, dried shiitake mushroom, bacon and shiitake mushroom soaking water into a pot and simmer until the winter melon is soft.
12. Add the light soy sauce, sugar, mirin and dashi stock granules and mix.
13. Remove the edamame from the bunches. (I used frozen edamame this time. The amount of beans removed was 60g.)
14. Add edamame beans.
15. When it boils, turn off the heat.
16. Add the water-dissolved potato starch and simmer until it thickens a little.

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