Monday, January 17, 2011

Steamed Stuffed Winter Melon Rolls

Did you know that winter melon can grow as large as 80cm in length! That's really huge! The one I saw in the market is really big, I bought just a slice, about 5" wide and it already weighs almost 1 kg! Winter melon is popular among the Chinese. It can be used in stir-fries, soups and can be preserved into candied winter melon, which are used to prepare sweet desserts as well as in savoury cooking. For soups, the flesh is usually boiled with either chicken or pork together with a few other Chinese herbs. 

For dinner the other night, I steamed it, stuffed with minced meat. The dish is really tasty. I found this lovely recipe from a book on Chinese Steaming recipes. I doubled the recipe, which yields about 18 rolls. I have however made mine with some changes. Have you tried winter melon before? How do you cook this melon? 


Just a thick slice of this melon is enough for a dish!  


 Place about a tablespoon of the filling in the centre of the melon slice, which has been boiled in water to soften. Roll it up and place on steaming plate.


A plate of rolled stuffed melon ready to be steamed.


 The sauce is thickened and poured over the stuffed melon.


  Enjoy !


Enjoy !

I'm sharing this with :
Potluck Sunday at Mommy's Kitchen
Full Plate Thursday at Miz Helen's Country Cottage
Fun w/food Friday at Paisley Passions

Steamed Stuffed Winter Melon Rolls
(with some changes, original source from :"Steamed Cuisine")
Ingredients A :
200gm winter melon
some shredded spring onion
cornstarch solution, for thickening

Ingredients B :
100g fish paste
100gm minced pork
100gm prawn paste
1 tbsp chopped carrot
1 tbsp chopped spring onions
1 tbsp choppped water chestnuts

Seasoning :
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp corn flour

Sauce :
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp "Shaoxing" wine (Chinese cooking wine)
stock - use the stock collected during steaming

Method :

  1. Cut winter melon into thin slices, blanch in the boiling water until soften. Remove, rinse under running cool water, drain well and keep aside.
  2. To make filling, mix entire ingredients (B) and seasoning, stir until sticky.
  3. Spoon in some filling onto each winter melon  slice, roll it up. Arrange on a heatproof plate. Steam in a preheated steamer, over medium high heat for 10 minutes until cooked.
  4. After steaming, remove rolls carefully to a serving plate. There will be some stock collected during the steaming. This stock is really tasty. Pour this stock into a small saucepan. Add in the sesame oil, light soy sauce or salt  to taste, Chinese cooking wine and allow to boil for a few minutes. Thicken with some cornstarch solution and pour thickened gravy onto the stuffed rolls. Garnish with spring onions and serve hot. Enjoy!   
The extra bits and pieces of the melon flesh, after slicing for the rolls, can be used for soups or stir-fries)


28 comments:

  1. I have never seen a winter melon. Sounds interesting. I will keep my eyes open.

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  2. Owh my!!! This is so appetizing...;)

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  3. Hi Joy,
    This is a beautiful dish, it is so delicate looking and I think it would be delicious. Thank you so much for bringing it over to Full Plate Thursday, and please come back. Hope you are having a great week end!

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  4. This is a gorgeous meal! I've never had winter melon before, I will look for it next time I go grocery shopping.

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  5. I have said it before, you always make such interesting food! This dish is beautiful in presentation as well, thanks Joy.

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  6. What a delicious and unique idea! The filling sounds incredibly good!

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  7. Light and cooling food is high in demand in our hot humid summery weather now...This is great!

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  8. I have never seen winter melon, but it looks and sounds delicious! I bet that filling would be good wrapped in just about anything! :)

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  9. Hi
    Kirsten,
    Miz Helen,
    Love2Cook,
    Elsa,
    Melynda,
    Reeni,
    Zoe,
    Betty,
    Thank you for stopping by. Winter melon is a common veggie over here in Malaysia, and steaming it with stuffing is a delicious way to enjoy this melon. Hope you are able to find this melon and give it a try soon. Have a lovely week.

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  10. Damn tempting rolls, absolutely new for me..looks soo comforting..

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  11. I have never seen winter melon - I'm pretty sure we don't get it here in New Zealand, but these little rolls look beautiful - I would love to try those :-)
    Sue

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  12. Winter melon...very good for making soup...my favourite. But you are so creative to make them into rolls. I would love that. But it's very difficult to get winter melon here.

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  13. Looks delicious and simple to cook! I love to try it. Im wondering instead of Chinese wine, what can be replaced that is as near as the wine? I love Chinese cooking, I have a few books on them but some ingredients like the wine Im not sure what to put instead.

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  14. Mmmmm, beautiful and..delicious photos, with gran melon !!!
    Thank you :)
    Greetings of Greece
    Magda

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  15. This recipe is new to me, but I must say you've created a beautiful dish. It also sounds delicious. I hope you are having a great day. Blessings...Mary

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  16. It looks delicious. Winter melon is seldom used in American cuisine - my first exposure of it was through Life Saver candies as a child...

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  17. Hi Priya,
    Thank you!

    Hi Sue,
    I'm sure that you'll love these!

    Hi MaryMoh,
    You must have missed having this melon in your soup! Make sure you have this the next time you are back in M'sia. Have a nice day!

    Hi p3chandan,
    The closest I can think of is the water from the pulut tapai! I do not know how it will taste though! But usually for dishes like this, when the wine is added in last, it can be omitted. For this dish, it is not necessary to use chinese cooking wine. It will still be very tasty and delicious! Hope you try this out and let me know whether you enjoy it! Have fun trying. And thank you for following!

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  18. Hi Magda,
    Thank you for your lovely visit. Have a nice day!

    Hi Mary,
    Thank you! A nice day to you too!

    Hi Indie.Tea,
    Thank you for visiting. Nice to see you here. Hope to see you again..Have a nice day!

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  19. Air tapai is not always in supply, so it can be omitted and still taste delicious? Emmm ok thanks for that information kitchen flavours. Will like to try it and let you know :)

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  20. looks nice..i only know how to cook winter melon in sweet soup as dessert. I actually wish to try to cook in the savoury type of soup one day.

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  21. Very interesting and creative! I've never had this before, only winter melon soup. :)

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  22. Beautiful e great soup, I liked. You are creative. I love melon. Have a nice day. Kisses.

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  23. That looks really great to snack on. I would love to try that. Thanks for sharing. I am your new follower. You can follow me back at http://showmemama.com. Make sure you leave a comment so I know you visited

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  24. What a lovely dish! It looks so tasty and delicious. I would like to try this.

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  25. I have never prepared this melon before, but it seems so versatile. This is such a lovely dish that I am sure my family would enjoy, maybe a vegetarian version for me :)

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  26. this looks amazing! i might have to try it next time - thank you!

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  27. Hi

    What a lovely and healthy dish. Is this fruit or vegetable? I like to try vegetarian version. Thanks for posting.

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  28. Appetite
    Belly sing
    Thank you
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