Recipe: Steamed Hairy Gourd/Melon with Minced Pork (毛瓜蒸肉馅)

by Mummy's Kitchen

Hairy Gourd/Melon (毛瓜) is also commonly known as Fuzzy Melon, and it has a clear layer of short fuzzy hair on its skin. Do not be put off by its texture as this is a mild, subtly sweet flavoured melon.  Many Chinese also believe that, like any other melons, hairy gourd has a cooling effect for our bodies.

This melon is often use for stir-frying (click here for our Stir Fried Hairy Gourd Recipe), for boiling in  a soup, or steaming with meat; which is what we are going to do now. The steamed gourd is so soft and tender, and the meat filling has added an “oomph” to the whole tasting experience. This dish is easy to whip up and can be done in “Under 30 Minutes” for a weekday dinner. Why not give it a try?

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Serves 4 persons

Ingredients:

1 medium Hairy Melon

280g minced pork (chicken or beef)

 

Marinade for the pork:

2 tablespoons soy sauce

Dashes of white pepper powder

1 Shiitake mushroom, diced

1 teaspoon of minced ginger

1 teaspoon of sugar

½ teaspoon of sesame oil

1 tablespoon of corn starch

2 tablespoons of water

½ teaspoon of salt

Sauce Condiments

1 tablespoon oyster sauce

2 teaspoons soy sauce

Some grounded white pepper

1 tablespoon of julienned ginger strips

1 tablespoon of chopped scallion/spring onions

½ teaspoon of sesame oil

1 tablespoon of corn starch dissolved in 1½ tablespoon of water

Method:

  1. Place the minced pork and mushrooms into a bowl.
  2. Add in the marinade for the pork into the bowl and mix well. Let it marinade for about 10 minutes.
  3. Use a peeler to peel off the skin of the Hairy Melon.
  4. Cut into to 1-inch tubes.
  5. Then scrape off the seeds in the centre.
  6. Stuff the melon with the meat stuffing until it forms a small dome.
  7. Steam the stuffed melon for 15 minutes. When done, set aside any liquid rendered from the melon.
  8. In a small pan, combine the rendered liquid and all the sauce condiments, except the corn starch. Boil for 2 minutes.
  9. Add the starch in to thicken the sauce.
  10. Pour the sauce over the steamed melon. Serve immediately.

Notes from Mummy’s Kitchen

  1. If you do not like pork, you can replace it with minced chicken instead.

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Mummy's Kitchen

Hi! My name is Josephine Go. I blog at BeyondNorm.com in a segment called Mummy’s Kitchen. I love to use fresh and natural ingredients in my cooking to promote healthy eating. Some of my recipes may not be in line with the traditional methods of cooking to the extent that some of the ingredients are different, but hopefully new recipes are being created in my style. I certainly hope that what I do will help guide kitchen first-timers on how to cook their first meal as well as further equip kitchen veterans with new recipes. My loving husband and two wonderful children are my best guinea pigs and critics. They have enjoyed (or endured) the food that has been served to them for all these years. Mind you, I did not know how to cook or ever knew that I could cook till I got married. So there is hope for everyone. If I can cook, you can cook. You will not know how good or talented you are until you put your hand in the plough.

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