Savor Sourness, Umami to Cool Off in Summer; Chef Recommends Refreshing Chilled Winter Melon Dashi Broth Dish

By Yasuto Akaike / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

12:30 JST, September 14, 2025

Despite the “winter” in its name, winter melon is an essential ingredient for hot days at chef Akihiko Murata’s Japanese restaurant.

His chilled winter melon stewed with lemon is cooked in a rich dashi broth. The dish provides the dual pleasures of umami and refreshment.

Winter melon, or togan in Japanese, is a familiar summer vegetable on Murata’s menu.

“I simmer it or puree it. I cook it a lot, especially in summer,” he said.

For the lemon stew recipe, Murata simmered winter melon with chicken tenderloin, seafood and lemon, and served the dish cold.

He peeled the gourd’s skin thinly, leaving some of the greenish part, and rubbed salt to bring out its color and better tenderize it when cooked. He parboiled it while covering with a paper towel so it would heat evenly. This extra step removes the vegetable’s bitterness and makes the melon absorb the dashi broth properly when simmering.

Murata coated chicken tenderloin, shrimp and scallops with potato starch to smooth their texture. The starch allows the dashi’s flavor to soak in well; this step is useful for other dishes, too.

He simmered dashi and added powdered gelatin. The starch mixed with water can be used to thicken the broth instead, but “the bouncy texture of gelatin feels more summery,” Murata said.

He put in about half the amount of gelatin usually used for desserts like jelly, to give it a more fluid texture.

Since it’s served chilled, “a little bit more than a pinch of salt is just right,” when seasoning at the end. The dish is done when chilled inside a pot placed in an ice bath. Lowering the temperature quickly brings out the gourd’s bright green.

The lemon adds a tangy flavor to the winter melon, which is so soft it hardly needs chewing. The umami of dashi spreads throughout the mouth, enveloping the rich flavors of the ingredients such as chicken and shrimp. With a taste that gently stirs up your appetite, it is a perfect appetizer.

Chilled winter melon stewed with lemon

Ingredients (serves 2):

• 1/8 winter melon (300 grams)
• 1 chicken tenderloin (60 grams)
• 8 small boiled scallops
• 4 shelled shrimp
• 10 grams young ginger
• 2 lemon slices
• 5 cm white part of negi green onion (shredded)
• 1 shiso leaf
• 400 milliliters dashi broth
• 2 tsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp white dashi (concentrated dashi seasoning)
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 5 grams powdered gelatin



Directions:

1. Peel winter melon, rub with a little salt and let sit for about 10 minutes. Cut into bite-sized pieces.

2. Slice chicken tenderloin. Coat chicken, scallops and deveined shrimp with potato starch in a bowl.

3. Bring water to a boil in a pot, place winter melon pieces inside, cover with a paper towel and simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes. Rinse with running water, drain in a colander and leave on another paper towel in a tray to dry.

4. In a pot, combine dashi, 11/3 tablespoons of mirin, 2 teaspoons light soy sauce, 1 teaspoon each of white dashi and lemon juice and finely sliced young ginger. Bring to a boil and add the winter melon.

5. Once the mixture in Step 4 comes to a boil again, add chicken, shrimp, scallops and peeled lemon slices. Simmer for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and add powdered gelatin. Mix well and season with a pinch of salt.

6. Fill a large bowl with ice water and place the pot on top to chill.

7. Serve the dish in a bowl topped with shredded green onion and thinly sliced shiso leaves.

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  The Yomiuri Shimbun
  Slice chicken.

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  The Yomiuri Shimbun
  Parboil winter melon.

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  The Yomiuri Shimbun
  Add powdered gelatin.

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