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Kanpyo no Amani (Sweet Simmered Gourd Strips)
Enough for about 4 thick sushi rolls · About 50 min (15 min of this is just letting it sit with the heat off)
Dried gourd strips rubbed with salt, boiled until soft, then simmered sweet and savory in dashi, sugar and soy sauce. Used as a filling for thick and thin sushi rolls.
① Rub with salt→② Boil until soft→③ Simmer sweet and savory→④ Let sit to soak in the flavor
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Dry goods & seasonings
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How to make it
1
Rub with salt
- Put 30 g kanpyo in a bowl, pour water over it, rinse quickly, and pour off the water
- Sprinkle with 1 tsp salt and rub for 1 minute, rubbing it between both hands
- Rinse off the salt with water
How to tell it's doneThe kanpyo has softened and turned whitish.
2
Boil until soft
- Put 1 L water in a pot and bring to a boil
- Add the kanpyo and boil at a gentle bubble for 10 minutes
- Drain in a colander and let cool until you can touch it. Squeeze lightly to drain the water
- Put it on a cutting board and cut it into lengths of about 20 cm with a knife
How to tell it's doneIt is soft enough that your fingernail easily leaves a mark when you press it. It is a little see-through.
Be carefulIf it is still hard, add 2–3 minutes at a time. If you simmer it while still hard, the flavor will not soak in later.
3
Simmer sweet and savory
- In the empty pot, put 200 ml water, 1/2 tsp dashi granules and 3 tbsp sugar, and put over medium heat
- When it boils, add the kanpyo and simmer over medium-low heat for 5 minutes
- Add 2 tbsp soy sauce and 1 tbsp mirin, and simmer 10 minutes, turning it over now and then with cooking chopsticks
How to tell it's doneThe liquid is down to about 1 cm at the bottom of the pot, and the kanpyo is brown all over.
Be carefulAt the end, the liquid is low and burns easily. Do not leave the stove.
4
Turn off the heat and let sit
- Turn off the heat and leave it in the simmering liquid for 15 min (the flavor soaks in as it cools)
- Eat 1 strip to taste it. If it tastes weak, add 1 tsp soy sauce and simmer 2 min on low heat
ReadyIt is nicely sweet and salty, and shiny. If using it for sushi rolls, lightly squeeze out the liquid first.
Be carefulOnce cool, put any leftovers in a container with a lid and keep in the fridge. Eat within about 3 days.
📚 Learn more about this dish
🥬 Ingredient guide
🔪 Cutting & cooking tips
If it didn't work out
The kanpyo is toughIt was not boiled long enough in step 2. Next time, boil until your fingernail leaves a mark.
The flavor is weakYou turned off the heat while lots of liquid was still left in step 3. Next time, simmer until about 1 cm is left in the bottom of the pot.
It burnedThe liquid was all gone. Do not use the burnt parts. Next time, use low heat for the last few minutes and stay close to watch.
Too saltyIt was boiled down too much. Add 2 tbsp water and simmer 1 min to soften it a little.
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