Sunday, August 8, 2010

Azuki Kabocha


This is Azuki Kabocha dish, one of the typical macrobiotic dishes. I made this dish for a client who has weak kidneys. It is very nourishing as well as tasty! Azuki (sometimes spelled Aduki) is a Japanese red beans and Kabocha is Japanese pumpkin. You can find them in Japanese stores or any health food stores.  
Azuki beans are very good for our kidneys and strengthen your blood and Kabocha is very good for nourishing our spleen and pancreas. Many people including me love sweets. I ate so much chocolate and sweet baked foods in the past. Those foods in highly sugar contents and baked goods wear out our spleen and pancreas in time. So, it is very good to have this dish for our organs and enjoy the natural sweetness!

Azuki Kabocha:

1 cup Azuki beans soaked over night or 6 hours (Also use the soaking water)
Kabocha pumpkin (about 2 cups cut into cubes)
1" square piece of Kombu
water

In a stainless pot or a cast iron pot, put the kombu then put beans and cover with the beans' soaking water. Bring it a boil. Skim the white foams with a strainer. This will help digest beans better. If the water level reduces, add a little more water to cover the beans. Put the lid on and simmer until the beans are 90% done. Put the Kabocha on top of the beans. Simmer 10 minutes until the kabocha becomes soft.
sprinkle 2 pinch of salt and gently shake the pot to mix the ingredients.

1 comment:

  1. Oh YUM! I love the simplicity of macrobio and letting the natural flavors shine thru. I actually dont use salt! It's good that way too. Your foto is so lovely.

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