Japanify: Preparing Kanpyo

Kanpyo is a curious food - shaved calabash gourd. You can buy kanpyo dehydrated in white strips. You must prepare the dehydrated strips and marinate them to get them ready for the most common kanpyo dishes like futomaki rolls and side dishes. I wanted to make unohana - a mixture of tofu pulp and vegetables, so I decided to try my hand at kanpyo.

Kanpyo bought from the store:



Wash the strips of kanpyo with water.

Rub with salt:



Soak for 10 minutes in water.

Put the kanpyo with water in a pot and bring to boil:



Drain. Create a mixture of 1 cup dashi, 2 tbs sugar, 2 tbs soy sauce and 2 tbs mirin. Put this mixture in the pot, and add the drained kanpyo into the pot. Simmer in the mixture for 5 minutes. All the liquid should be absorbed by the kanpyo.

Remove from pot and cut into desired size.



*Yoko lives in Tokyo. She loves dips, dashi and deals.