China · Home-style
Winter Melon Stuffed with Pork
Winter melon rolls salted, softened and wrapped around seasoned pork, steamed until tender and finished with a glossy starch sauce.
Salting the melon slices first draws out water and softens them just enough to roll without snapping. Stuffed vegetable dishes belong to the Cantonese tradition of cooking the cheap cut well, and winter melon is the version made for hot weather. Rolling the filling inside takes a little practice, so expect to lose a slice or two while you find your grip.
Ingredients
- ground pork300 g
- egg1 pieces
- winter melon200 g
- chopped scallion20 g
- ground white pepper5 g
- light soy sauce10 ml
- cornstarch5 g
- slurry25 g
- minced scallion and ginger30 g
- salt20 g
Directions
- 1
Peel the winter melon and cut it into slices about twenty-five centimeters long and three centimeters thick.
- 2
Put the slices in a bowl, add fifteen grams of salt, rub it evenly over them and leave for ten minutes.
- 3
While the melon sits, put the ground pork in another bowl with the minced scallion and ginger, five grams of salt, five grams of cornstarch, the white pepper and the light soy sauce.
- 4
Stir the pork clockwise with chopsticks until the mixture looks evenly blended, about two minutes.
- 5
Rinse the softened melon slices three times in cold water.
- 6
Take one slice, roll it into a tube and pack the filling inside.
- 7
Stand the rolls upright on a plate around the outer edge.
- 8
Crack one egg into the circle in the middle.
- 9
Bring water to a boil in a pot, then steam for fifteen minutes with the lid on.
- 10
Uncover and lift out the stuffed melon.
- 11
Pour the liquid from the plate into a pot, add the slurry and fifty milliliters of water, and bring to a boil.
- 12
Pour the sauce over the stuffed melon.
Source: HowToCook · WorldBite adaptation · Unlicense source text; bilingual recipe adapted by WorldBite.