Winter melon stir fry is an easy, hearty comfort dish that is often found on the side of bigger meals. This quick and easy winter melon stir fry utilizes Chinese dried shrimp for extra umami flavor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s a side dish that adds texture, flavor, and nutrition to your meal – and is also gluten-free!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Winter melon, or Dong Gua, is a type of gourd that has a distinctive texture that sets it apart from other squashes and melons. It\u2019s also huge, often much bigger than your average watermelon. It has tough skin, very thick white flesh, and large seeds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Once cooked, the flesh becomes tender and has a mild, slightly sweet flavor. The texture of the cooked melon resembles both a summer squash and daikon radish. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Its mild taste makes winter melon perfect for soup, stew, and stir fry because it will taste like whatever you season it with. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Most winter melons you can buy are pre-cut and wrapped in individual packaging. This is because the melon is so big that one person will not be able to eat the whole melon! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you do get your hands on a whole winter melon, you\u2019ll need to cut it crosswise into thick wheels. This makes it easier to peel and deseed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
You\u2019ll most likely find winter melon cut into a wheel or a half-wheel shape. However, they are sometimes cut into wedges. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Either way, you will need to remove the seeds and the soft tissue surrounding them. Then, you will need to peel off the skin using a knife. You will need to peel off a \u00bc-inch (or \u00bd cm) of the skin. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The flesh attached to the skin is incredibly tough so you will be unable to use a peeler for this. The skin is also very hard to cook through.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Once deseeded and peeled, you can chop the melon flesh into whatever shape you like. For this recipe, I\u2019ll be cutting the melon into thick batons for stir-frying. However, thick slices of winter melon tend to work for soup and braised dishes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Winter melon and papery shrimp are the undisputed stars of this dish. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Papery shrimp is a type of dried shrimp that is often used in Chinese cooking to add a seafood umami flavor and saltiness. They are very small dried shrimp<\/a> with soft shells. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Unlike the bigger, meatier dried shrimp, you don\u2019t need to pre-soak the papery shrimp before cooking. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Papery shrimp is used in a similar way to aromatics. To release the fragrance and get them crispy, you\u2019ll need to fry them with a bit of oil and then add the other ingredients. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Papery shrimp adds an intense seafood flavor and saltiness to the winter melon, making it extra rich and delicious with rice. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You can buy papery shrimp online, but this tends to be more expensive than buying them from Asian markets. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You can also make this dish with regular dried shrimp. If you can only get your hands on regular dried shrimp, pre-soak them for a few hours (or overnight) until they become tender.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Winter melon stir fry only requires a few ingredients and is easy to prepare. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In this recipe, you\u2019ll find carrots and a mild green pepper to add both color and more interesting textures. But if you want the winter melon to be the star vegetable of this dish, then you can skip these ingredients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Servings:<\/strong> 4<\/p>\n\n\n\nIngredients<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Instructions<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n