Winter Melon (Dong Gua)
夏を乗り切る最強の水分タンク！旨味を吸い尽くす透明な果肉
Description
A giant gourd family vegetable harvested in summer, despite having 'Winter' in its name. Named because it preserves until winter if kept in a cool, dark place. 95% water, tasteless and odorless itself. However, braising it in pork or seafood soup makes it absorb broth to the limit, turning the flesh transparent and meltingly soft.
Classification: Everyone, Ingredient, Vegetable, Winter Melon, For Soup, Summer Vegetable, Clearing Heat, Melting, Sponge
Shops selling Winter Melon (Dong Gua)
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The How to use section below is a general reference, not instructions from the listed shops.
How to use
Ingredients
- Winter Melon(Fresh)
Instructions
- [Typical Uses]
- [Dong Gua Pai Gu Tang (Winter Melon & Rib Soup)]: Braise with pork bones (nationwide summer staple soup).
- [Hong Shao Dong Gua]: Braise only winter melon meltingly soft in star anise and dark soy like braised pork belly (becomes a lump of umami tricking you into thinking it's meat).
- Hollow out and use as a bowl for premium soup (Dong Gua Zhong).
Learn more Substitutes, pairings, tips
Key spices
Plain taste. Braising integrates it completely with soup umami、melting 'juicily and softly' in the mouth
Substitutes at Japanese supermarkets
Can be perfectly substituted with JP supermarket winter melon (substituting with daikon changes flavor)
Pairing
Pork Spareribs / Dried Shrimp (Hai Mi) / Soy Sauce and Star Anise
Trivia
Because the skin is thick and hard, firmly cut off the green part with a knife and use the white flesh. Just frying it with dried shrimp (Hai Mi Dong Gua) makes a splendid dish that keeps rice bowls coming.
Eating tips & etiquette
In Chinese medicinal philosophy, winter melon is the ultimate veg for 'Qing Re Jie Shu' (cooling trapped body heat and resolving summer fatigue). Highly diuretic, perfect for relieving edema.
Allergen
None