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Eating Winter Melon

Looking for a comfort food that can come straight from your garden? Try this recipe using winter melon. Winter melon, also known as ash gourd, is a fruit native to parts of Southern Asia. The fruit grows on a vine and matures into a round or oblong melon that is approximately the same size and color as a watermelon. When it is ripe, it’s exterior turns a greenish-powdery ash-color. It tastes a bit like cucumber and is delicious in the soup described in this article.

Anita Oakman, Dakota County Master Gardener Intern

Eating Winter Melon

Winter melon, also known as ash gourd, is a fruit native to parts of Southern Asia.  Winter melon grows on a vine and matures into a round or oblong melon that is approximately the same size and color as a watermelon. When it is ripe, it’s exterior turns a greenish-powdery ash-color. The fruit tastes somewhat like cucumber. It is said to have various health benefits and has been used in Asian medicine and cuisine for centuries.


This recipe comes from an Asian-American vlogger named Yi who touts it as being a childhood comfort food for when you have a cold - a sort of “remedy for what ails ya”!


Traditional Winter Melon Soup


Ingredients:


1 lb winter melon, cut into 1” square pieces

1 lb ground pork


Pork seasoning:

1 egg

1.5 tbsp cornstarch

1/4 tsp salt

1 large piece ginger, peeled and sliced

1 smaller piece peeled ginger for grinding or mincing


Soup seasoning:

1 tsp olive oil

1 large piece ginger

1 tsp Sichuan peppercorn (optional)

1 tbsp Goji berries

2 tsp salt

1 tsp sesame oil

Chopped green onion for garnish


Directions:


Crack egg into ground pork in medium sized bowl. Season pork with salt and one-half teaspoon cornstarch, mixing in ground or minced ginger until pork sticks together well. Pour olive oil into large saucepan on low heat, add sliced ginger and optional Sichuan peppercorns and heat until mixture becomes fragrant. Add enough boiling water to reach halfway up the sides of the saucepan. Form small meatballs from pork mixture and place into saucepan over increased heat, cooking until soup comes to a boil and meatballs are cooked well. Remove excess grease off top of soup. Carefully add chunks of winter melon to soup, cover saucepan, and let boil for 15 minutes. Stir in Goji berries, salt, and sesame oil. Serve garnished with chopped green onion.


Taken from Yi’s Szechuan Kitchen: https://sichuankitchenrecipes.com/2023/11/19/authentic-chinese-winter-melon-soup-recipe/


Reference: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/ash-gourd 


Photo credit: Anita Oakman (1)


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