The supermarkets never sell winter melon in smaller cuts and I'll always be left with nothing less than a huge chunk of it after cooking. Many a times, the leftovers will be used for making winter melon tea but I've decided to experiment and fry it like a vegetable. I used the same recipe that I fry peeled cucumbers with and was surprised when I found out much later that this was actually a classic Beijing vegetable dish.
When cooking this dish, do go light on the chicken powder as you won't want to overwhelm that awesome sea taste from the dried shrimp.
Ingredients:
1 piece winter melon, skin and seeds removed, cut into smaller pieces
2 tablespoon dried shrimp, soaked in 1 cup of water for at least 10 minutes
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 piece shallot, minced
1 slice ginger, minced
1/3 teaspoon chicken powder
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon cornstarch (optional)
Method:
Heat oil in frying pan. Add in the minced garlic, shallot and ginger, and fry till fragrant. Add in the winter melon and fry for a minute.
Add in the dried shrimp together with the water it was soaked in. Bring to boil and lower heat to simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the chicken powder and thicken with cornstarch mixed with water.