Help me make butternut squash edible to me

[rachelmanija]

I have two butternut squashes (hard-skinned yellow squash), delivered to me as an emergency substitution for something I actually like. I can't return them because coronavirus, I don't generally like squash, and my neighbors don't want them.

My exception to the squash hate is when it's a savory dish that tones down the sweetness. The only time I've ever liked pumpkin was a savory dish I had at a banquet in Taipei with, I think, dried shrimp. Please suggest to me a savory dish, ideally some kind of Asian, which I can make with this squash.


I do not have dried shrimp, but I do have fish sauce and furikake. I don't have pureeing equipment.

Comments

[swan_tower]

Okay! I couldn't remember where you fell on that particular question, only that you'd recently been posting about Passover -- I was literally halfway through typing up the suggestion when I thought "wait, am I being an idiot?" :-)

Chop roughly 7-8 oz of squash into roughly 1-inch chunks, peeling off the rind. (With kabocha you can leave part of it on for decorative purposes; I don't think that would work with butternut.) Cover and nuke for three minutes to get it started on the cooking. Put it in a saucepan with 3-4 slices of bacon cut into large chunks with 1 cup water, 1 tablespoon (or a bit more) of soy sauce, and about half a tablespoon (or less) of sugar. Simmer for 10 minutes or until the squash is the desired texture. Dump over rice and garnish with parsley if so desired.

This theoretically feeds two. In practice, I don't think I've ever found even half a kabocha that's small enough to match the recipe. :-P Simmering time depends on the condition of the squash. But in general this is dead easy and pleasingly salty; I like the sugar balancing that out a bit, but if you really want to go savory you could probably leave it out. It reheats fine, too.

[rachelmanija]

Hahaha, no. An understandable mistake to make, though.

Thank you, this sounds PERFECT. Do you cook the bacon before putting it in with the squash and water?

[swan_tower]

Nope! You just braise it with everything else. You won't get a crunchy texture (obviously).