Miso Kabocha Locro (Argentine × Japanese)

Method

1. Heat the oil in a 20 cm pot on medium heat and cook the pork belly, cut into 1.5 cm pieces, for 7 min, until plenty of fat has rendered and the outside is golden.

   Add in this stepVegetable oil 1 tspPork belly 200 g

   medium heat

2. Add the chopped onion and finely grated ginger and garlic and cook for 4 min, until the onion is translucent and fragrant.

   Add in this stepOnion 1Fresh ginger 10 gGarlic cloves 2

3. Add the kabocha cut into 3 cm chunks (patches of skin can stay on), the rinsed and drained hominy, the dashi and the mirin. Bring to the boil on high heat, then lower to medium-low heat and simmer for 15 min, until the kabocha breaks easily with a chopstick.

   Add in this stepKabocha squash (skin on) 300 gCanned white hominy, drained 240 gDashi stock (bonito and kombu) 650 mlMirin 1 tbsp

   high heat→medium-low heat

4. Mash about a third of the kabocha with the back of a ladle to thicken the broth, add the corn and simmer on low heat for 3 min more.

   Add in this stepSweetcorn kernels 100 g

   low heat

5. Turn off the heat. Put the miso in a ladle, dissolve it with a little broth, stir it into the pot and season with the soy sauce. Don't boil it hard after adding the miso, or the aroma fades.

   Add in this stepWhite miso (shiro miso) 2 tbspSoy sauce 1 tsp

6. Mix the sesame oil, shichimi and sesame seeds in a small bowl. Ladle the locro into bowls, scatter over the sliced spring onions and drizzle with the shichimi sesame oil.

   Add in this stepToasted sesame oil 2 tspShichimi togarashi ½ tspToasted sesame seeds 1 tspSpring onions 1