Level 4 · Pureed: smooth and thick enough to eat with a spoon, with no lumps and no chewing needed. What do the levels mean?
Serves: 4 · Time: 25 minutes
Ingredients: Kabocha, low-sodium dashi or broth, a little soy sauce, smooth tahini or sesame paste.
Steps
Peel, seed and cube 1 small kabocha. Simmer in 1 cup dashi with 1 tsp soy sauce until very soft, about 15 minutes.
Blend with 1 tbsp sesame paste and enough cooking liquid to make it smooth and thick.
Press through a strainer if any fibers remain.
Shortcut: Instant dashi granules are fine.
Check the texture: it holds its shape on a spoon and slides off in one spoonful when the spoon is tilted, leaving little behind. On a fork it sits in a mound, and no liquid separates out.
Use the food level recommended by your speech-language pathologist or doctor. Textures change with cooking time, cooling and reheating, so check the food each time before serving, using the simple fork and spoon tests in our swallowing guide. Sit upright to eat, take small bites, and stay upright for 30 minutes after.