Stuffed Fuzzy/Hairy Melon

Fuzzy melon  is one of the names for an Asian vegetable that resembles a large hairy zucchini and is related to the winter melon. Fuzzy melon is also known as fuzzy squash, hairy gourd, hairy squash, hairy melon and chinese called this melon " mo gwa ' .  My mom's favorite veggie and she used to cook them in soup , stir fry or stuffed them with mince meat fillings with a combination of salted fish ( tenggiri ) and dried shrimps....awwww this brings back sweet memories for me.

Each time I cook this dish, stuffed fuzzy melon with mince meat , it reminds of my sweet mama. My siblings and I squealed with joy each time she cooked this dish. The aroma of this dish wafting out from the kitchen greeted us when we come back from school , each time she cooked this . We never get bored with this dish . The secret is .... the salted fish she added to the minced meat that makes this dish a signature dish in our household. My mom was a wonderful cook and I thank God I inherited her interest in cooking and thus inherited this recipe too. The preparation of this dish is simple and I could whip this up in less than an hour. Believe me , this is dish that can make me take two bowls of rice :p The only thing to take note is the salted fish....get the ' mui heong ' ( ikan tenggiri ) type for this meat filling :)

Stuffed Fuzzy/Hairy Melon

Ingredients :-


2 medium size fuzzy melon -
peel off skin and cut into 1.5 inch ring as shown in my photos,
remove the center pulps/seeds but keep it for later use

Mince meat fillings:

300 gm minced meat
1/4 piece salted fish ( ikan tenggiri - ' mui heong ' type ) - chopped
2 tbsp of dried shrimps - soaked and chopped coarsely
bird's eye chillies - to taste
3 pips of garlic - chopped
1 tbsp of light soy sauce
1.5 tbsp of corn flour
1 tsp of sesame oil

5 pips of garlic - slightly crushed for braising

thickening:-

1tbsp of corn flour
3 tbsp of water

enough grapeseed oil for frying

Method:

Stir the above ingredients together in a bowl with a pair of chopsticks till they become sticky. Rest it for 10 minutes. Stuff the fuzzy melon with the meat mixture . When all is done, heat up a wok with enough grapeseed oil for frying the stuffed melon. Slightly fry the stuffed melons with the meat filling facing down to the oil as shown in the photo above and fry till it is lightly brown . Dish up , remove excess oil in the wok and leave behind 1 tbsp of oil. Saute the crushed garlic til fragrant, add in 1 tsp of sea salt and let it sizzles in the oil for a second, add in 2 cups of water and a dash of white pepper and when the water boils, add in the stuffed melon . Cover with a lid and braise the melon till it turns soft and tender - about 25 minutes under medium low heat.  Add thickening and dish up .  Serve hot.

Enjoy !

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