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WHAT'S NEW
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Andrew's ingredient of the month -- Chinese squash
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There's a whole world of locally grown Chinese vegetables waiting for you to discover at Chinese markets and supermarkets across the country. This month, why not try some of the many varieties of Chinese summer squashes?
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By Andrew Chase, Homemakers Magazine Food editor
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Photo: Asian bitter melon
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Even if you're unfamiliar with Chinese produce, you've likely seen piles of attractive and interestingly-shaped Chinese summer squashes on display in Chinatown and even at your local large supermarket or Asian supermarkets (such as T & T).
If you have Chinese neighbours, you've probably seen these summer squashes grown on the vine, gracing front and back gardens throughout urban landscapes. (I grow bitter melon vines in containers on my backyard deck, both for the bitter melons and for their decorative value and fragrant blooms.) Perhaps some of the different -- or even strange -- shapes have attracted your attention, but you haven't yet tried to cook these vegetables.
Here's a short introduction to two of the more unusual ones, bitter melon and loofa, plus a nod to a few others of the many common Chinese summer squashes.
Bitter melon (also called bitter gourd or bitter cucumber)
A favourite vegetable of Chinese, Southeast Asian and South Asian people, this squash looks like a bumpy, waxy-skinned cucumber. The most common variety is just about the size of a field cucumber, light green with rounded bumps. Other varieties (particularly Indian ones) have darker green skins and more pointed and irregular bumps. Some Taiwanese, Japanese and Filipino varieties can be ivory to white-coloured.
As suggested by its name, the flesh of the bitter melon is bitter, in a pleasing way, stronger than -- but much like -- the bitter greens favoured in Southern Mediterranean cuisines. You can weaken the bitterness by salting the vegetable before cooking; the liquid drained from the salting reduces the bitter taste. But true lovers of this vegetable find its bitterness refreshing and cleansing to their palates. As with most bitter vegetables, bitter melon is considered very good for your liver and a digestive aid; it also boosts your body's immune functions.
How to cook bitter melon
For Chinese cuisine, you can stir-fry bitter melon with meat or shrimp or you can poach it in pork or chicken soup. In Filipino cuisine, you can cook bitter melon (ampalaya) in an omelette or serve it as part of a mixed vegetable dish, usually with pork or shrimp. In the rest of Asia, it's oftened prepared as a spicy side dish. Bitter melon is also salted and prepared in Chinese and Filipino salads or even grilled and anointed with tomato or chili sauce.
A favourite Chinese preparation using this vegetable -- and one much appreciated by non-Chinese -- is bitter melon in black bean sauce. To make this, cut the one or two bitter melons lengthwise into two halves; scrape out the seeds and white pith with a spoon and slice thinly. If you wish, reduce the saltiness by tossing the bitter melon with salt (about 1 tsp/5 mL), letting it stand for 15 to 30 minutes, then rinse under cold water and drain.
Stir fry some lean or fat pork in peanut or vegetable oil with green onions, ginger and garlic (and hot peppers to taste), then add some soaked and drained Chinese fermented black beans or black bean and garlic sauce, available at most grocers. Stir-fry for a bit, then add the bitter melon; stir-fry until tender, adding a little stock or water as necessary to avoid scorching.
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