Winer Melon Soup (Togan Squash With Bacon Edamame 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 = Winer 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 Winer Melon Soup (Togan Squash With Bacon Edamame Ankake)

• 104 kcal
• Protein 4.2 g
• Fat 5.5 g
• Carb 11.3 g
• Salt Equivalent 1.9 g

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

• Winter melon 1kg (Before removing the skin and seeds.)
  • Water 1kg
• Dried shiitake mushrooms 10g
• Bacon 70g
• Edamame 130g (Before removing the skin. )
• ☆Light soy sauce 30g
• ☆Sugar 10g
• ☆Mirin 15g
• ☆Salt 3g
• ☆Dashi stock granules 5g
• ☆Water and shiitake mushroom reconstituted juice 1kg
• Potato starch 8g
  • Water 50g

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

♡Dried shiitake mushrooms take a while to soften, so soak them in water the day before.

1. Peel the winter melon with a peeler and remove the seeds.
2. Cut the winter melon into pieces about 25g in size.
3. Put the winter melon and water in a pressure cooker and pressurize for 2 minutes. (I use a pressure cooker to save time, but you can also use a normal pot.)
4. Once the pressure is released, open the lid and discard the water.
5. Slice the dried shiitake mushrooms that have softened by soaking them in water into thin strips. (Do not discard the water.)
6. Cut the bacon into 1cm-wide strips.
7. Remove the edamame from the bunches. (I used frozen edamame this time. The amount of beans removed was 60g.)
8. Put the winter melon, shiitake mushrooms, bacon, and edamame in a pot.
9. Mix light soy sauce, sugar, mirin, salt, dashi stock granules, water, and the water used to soak the shiitake mushrooms.
10. When it boils, turn off the heat.
11. Add the water-dissolved potato starch and simmer until it thickens a little.

I use a T-fal “Clipso Minut Easy” pressure cooker. The content is 4.5L.　

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