Simply Cooking and Health: Winter melon with mung bean and coconut milk ( Stew )

Winter melon with mung bean and coconut milk in mild form
( Stew )

^{This is also called white gourd, winter gourd, tallow gourd, Chinese preserving melon, or ash gourd. When mature this melon is eaten as a vegetable. When it is immature it has a sweet taste but it loses its sweetness when it matures. As the fruit matures it loses its hairs and develops a waxy coating which gives it a long shelf life. The whole fruit may last several months in room temperature without refrigeration. The fruit is usually covered with a white ash colored substance which washes off easily with water. The wax is natural and not artificial. Hence it is not necessary to wash off the wax. But in any case we normally remove the rind and discard it.}

Winter melon with ash.

^{In Southeast Asia, the juice from this vegetable is sweetened with caramelized sugar and marketed as winter melon tea or winter melon punch. The shoots, tendrils, and leaves of the plant are edible and are eaten as greens.}

Washed melon

This watery vegetable has a very bland taste but absorbs the flavors added to it well.

^{Supermarkets will normally cut the fruit into large pieces enough for a family and cover the pieces with a plastic wrap. The cut fruit has a short shelf life and will last only for 3 or 4 days. If the cut piece has been on the shelf for 2 days, it may have a slimy film on the surface of the white flesh. Sometimes there will also be a light yellowish tint. Normally, I will shave off a thin layer from the outer flesh and use it. If the yellowish tint is found after shaving off a very thin layer then the fruit is spoilt. Discard it.}

^{This time I found a medium size fruit in the supermarket and I bought the whole fruit. First I slice it into similar size as the pieces sold by supermarkets.}

Winter melon cut pieces

Today I made a mild curry with winter melon and mung beans, without any curry powder or chili powder. It is a mild stew that can also be consumed as a curry.

Recipe summary
For
Winter melon with mung bean and coconut milk
in mild form ( Stew )

^{Preparation time:20 minutes}

^{Cooking time: 40 minutes}
Serves: 6

1. This is also called white gourd, winter gourd, tallow gourd, Chinese preserving melon, or ash gourd. When mature this melon is eaten as a vegetable.

Winter melon with mung
bean and coconut milk ( Stew )

2. Today I made a mild stew with winter melon and mung beans, without any curry powder or chili powder. It can also be consumed as a mild curry.

3. Peel off the rind of 700 grams winter melon and remove the seeds.

4. Cut the flesh into cubes.

5. In a small pan add ¾ cup split mung beans and add enough water to cover it. Bring to the boil and reduce the heat to medium and simmer covered for 15 minutes.Set aside the mung beans. Don't throw any liquid left with beans.

6. In a medium sized skillet heat 2 table spoon vegetable oil.

7. When the oil is hot reduce the heat to medium and add 100 grams onion roughly chopped and fry for ten minutes or until the onion pieces are translucent but slightly browned. This gives a pleasant taste to the dish.

Ingredients

8. Add 1 dry chili cut into small pieces and fry till it gives out aroma with the onion to give a boost to the onion and the stew.

9. Make a well in the center and add ¼ teaspoon mustard seeds and ¼ teaspoon cumin seeds and fry till the mustard seeds splutter.

10. Add 3 cloves garlic sliced thin, 5 grams ginger finely chopped, 10 curry leaves, 1 green chili chopped fine, ¼ teaspoon fennel seeds, and continue frying for another 5 minutes.

11. Add the melon slices and stir well.

Winter melon cut pieces

12. Add enough water to cover the melon. Melon will ooze water. Bring to the boil on high heat and reduce the heat to medium low. Let it simmer covered for 15 minutes or until the melon pieces are soft.

13. Add the boiled mung bean. Mix well. Simmer for 5 minutes add ½ cup coconut milk, ½ teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper powder. Continue to cook for 3 minutes.

14. The stew is ready. Taste for the seasoning.

15. It was delicious . It can be served with rice or as a side dish. It can be consumed as a stew. If you increase it to three cups it will be an excellent soup.

Winter melon with mung bean and coconut milk Stew is ready.

Recipe follows in detail with pictures.

^{Preparation time:20 minutes}

^{Cooking time: 40 minutes}
Serves: 6

^Ingredients

^{700 grams winter melon}
¾ cup split mung beans

Ingredients

Others

^{100 grams onion roughly chopped}

^{10 curry leaves}

^{1 dry chili cut into small pieces.}

^{1 green chili chopped fine}

^{3 cloves garlic sliced thin}

^{5 grams ginger finely chopped}

^{¼ teaspoon cumin seeds}

^{¼ teaspoon fennel seeds}
¼ teaspoon mustard seeds

¹_{/8 teaspoon black pepper powder}

½ cup coconut milk

_{½ teaspoon salt}

_{2 table spoon vegetable oil}

_Preparation

_{This is a large fruit and difficult to handle. Slice the melon into 1 inch thick slices as shown in the picture.}

Winter melon cut into big pieces

Peel off the rind and remove the seeds.

Winter melon deseeded and cut into smaller pieces

Winter melon seeded and cut into smaller pieces

_{Cut the flesh into cubes.}
_{In a small pan add ¾ cup split mung beans and add enough water to cover it. Bring to the boil and reduce the heat to medium, cover and simmer, for 15 minutes.}

Ready for cooking

_Method

_{In a medium sized skillet heat the oil. I used a wok. When the oil is hot reduce the heat to medium and add in the chopped onion and fry for ten minutes or until the onion pieces are translucent but slightly browned. This gives a pleasant taste to the stew}

Frying the onion

_{Add the dry chili and fry till it gives out aroma with the onion to give a boost to the onion and the stew.}

Dry chili added

_{Make a well in the center and add mustard seeds and cumin}
and fry till the mustard seeds splutter.

Mustard seeds and cumin added

_{Add garlic, ginger, curry leaves, green chili, fennel seeds, and continue frying for another 5 minutes.}

Adding garlic, ginger, curry leaves, green chili, fennel seeds.

_{Add the melon slices and stir well.}

Adding the melon.

Stir frying.

_{Add enough water to cover the melon. Melon will ooze water. Bring to the boil on high heat and reduce the heat to medium low. Let it simmer covered for 15 minutes or until the melon pieces are soft.}

Water is added.

_{Add the boiled mung bean.}

Mung bean is added.

_{Let the mung bean mixed well with the cooking melon When it thickens}
_{add the coconut milk, salt and pepper powder. Continue to cook for 3 minutes.}

Coconut milk and pepper being added.

The stew is ready. Taste for the seasoning and adjust.

The stew is ready.

It was delicious . It can be served with rice or as a side dish. It can be consumed as a stew. When adding water if you increase it to three cups it will be an excellent soup.