Winter Melon Stir Fry

Have dinner sorted with our homemade Winter Melon Stir Fry. It’s a simple and easy side dish with tender melon slices – so comforting over hot rice! Get a mouthful of textures from the deeply savory shrimp and silky noodle threads soaked in pork juices. Or jazz it up with your favorite protein!

The side dish your Grandma would love

With Cantonese cuisine, there are the dishes that are well-recognized worldwide like Wonton Egg Noodle Soup (港式云吞面), Steamed Pork Ribs with Black Bean Sauce (豉汁蒸排骨) and Crispy Egg Noodles with Seafood (海鲜炒面).

Then there are dishes like our family’s Winter Melon Stir Fry that are not only just as terrific, but a comforting classic all Cantonese families enjoy.

These types of recipes are what I like to call the unsung heroes of family tradition.

They’re the kinds of side dishes that take you right back to Grandma and Mum’s cooking. Served over hot rice, you’ll feel at home when you can pour generous spoonfuls of the sauce on top.

The winter melon stays wonderfully sweet with a tender yet firm bite. Each noodle strand is packed with savoriness after it has soaked up all the stir fry juices.

And to keep your taste buds craving for more, the rehydrated shrimps add sharp pops of umami for a simple and delicious side dish.

All about winter melon

What is it

Also known as dong gua (冬瓜) in Cantonese, winter melon is a type of fruit that goes through a few stages as it matures. At first, the young version has lots of short and soft hairs that cover its entire outer coat, which is why it’s sometimes referred to as ‘fuzzy melon’.

As it starts to mature, the skin becomes waxy and tougher as the tiny hairs fall off. If you find the fruit like this, you might find shops calling it ‘wax gourd’. When it’s in this stage, the flavor will have deepened, making it perfect for soups.

Taste

There are a few flavor profiles for the fruit and it comes down to its age. The younger fuzzy version is sweeter and more tender to eat. This makes them a great choice for quick stir fries because they don’t take long to soften over high heat.

It tastes similar to melons like honeydew, just without the sharp sweetness. You’ll find that as a fruit, it’s actually quite bland.

The older version has a mature taste and the sweetness will have mellowed out. It’s also firmer with less liquid, which makes it perfect for slower cooking or stuffed as you would when making Yong Tau Fu (釀豆腐).

Health Benefits

Much like Chinese Herbal Tea (涼茶), winter melon is one of those fruits that are said to cool your body down. It helps to restore balance in the body after you’ve had food that causes inflammation, including deep fried and oily dishes.

The fruit comes packed with vitamins B2 and C, which are important for vision health and assisting with the immune system. It’s also filled with a range of nutrients including fiber, potassium, zinc and phosphorus – all the more reason to make this healthy side dish!

Why this recipe works

• The seasoning is kept simple to ensure this stays an easy and quick recipe.
• Using dried shrimp adds pops of savory flavor.
• Adding green bean threads means more texture to balance the dish.

What you’ll need

About the ingredients

We used pork mince for this recipe, but you can use whichever protein you like. Chicken mince or thighs are also great options.

You can get all the ingredients from Asian supermarkets. If you want to make this dish vegetarian, swap out the oyster sauce for a substitute and use a vegetable stock powder instead of chicken bouillon.

How to make this recipe

Marinate the mince in the oyster sauce, salt, sugar, 3/4 tbsp chicken bouillon powder, sesame oil and potato starch. Set aside while you work on the other ingredients.

Peel the winter melon and cut it into thin strips, roughly 10cm (4″) long and 0.75cm (0.3″) wide. Leave them in a bowl for later.

Note: You won’t have to remove the seeds because they’re edible when cooked.

Heat up a wok or pan on high heat and pour in the cooking oil. When the oil is hot, add the garlic in and cook for 30 seconds. Add the marinated mince and stir for 2 minutes or until 80% cooked.

Throw in the rehydrated shrimp and stir through for 20 seconds.

Add the winter melon in, season with 1 tbsp chicken bouillon powder and stir fry for 3 minutes. Pour in the water and simmer for another 5 minutes or until the fruit starts to become translucent.

Put the green bean thread in and toss through for 2 minutes.

Add the spring onions and stir them through for 20 seconds.

Serve immediately as is!

Recipe FAQs

Tips for the best results

• Divide the cooking into smaller portions. You don’t want to overcrowd the wok, otherwise you’ll end up boiling everything.
• Don’t cook the green bean thread for too long. The longer they cook, the more liquid they’ll absorb. This expands the noodles and makes it lose its elasticity.
• Save the shrimp water. You can substitute part of the stock or water with the liquid used to soak the dehydrated shrimp in. This will help to bring out more flavor.
• Use a fattier mince. Like we do with our Chinese Seaweed Soup (紫菜汤) and Xíu Mại (Vietnamese Meatballs in Tomato Sauce), it ensures each bite is juicy and seasoned with porky flavor.

What to serve it with

• Get the palette going with these deliciously simple Steamed Oysters with Ginger and Shallots.
• Braised Chicken with Mushrooms, Black Fungus and Lily Flowers (金針雞), Crispy Rainbow Beef (牛柳丝) and Steamed Pork Belly with Salted Radish are the perfect side dishes to go with a Winter Melon Stir Fry.
• Keep things humble by enjoying a family-sized Chinese Seaweed Soup (紫菜汤).
• Sweet Potato and Ginger Dessert Soup (番薯糖水) will wrap everything up in sweetness!

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