THE CHINESE CUCURBITS - Growing Chinese Vegetables in Your Own Backyard - page 26

both sides so you can grab the ends to lift the melon out of the pot when it is done.
The melon will be very heavy because it will be filled with broth and vegetables, so
make your sling sturdy and easy to manage. Use a rack or some other method to keep
the melon above the boiling water so it steams rather than boils. If you use a colander
with feet, you could make handles of wire instead of the sling described above.
5. Fill the melon with Chinese vegetables cut into ¼-inch chunks. These can include lo-
tus root, bamboo shoots, mushrooms (whole button or sliced larger ones), water chest-
nuts, and so on. Raw chicken, raw pork, and baked ham, also cut in small pieces, are
usually added. Pour hot chicken broth over the vegetables until the melon is three-
quarters full. Dried tangerine peel that has been soaked in water for 30 minutes is usu-
ally added at this time and removed just before serving. (If you don't have this, stir in
grated orange rind just before taking the melon out of the pot.)
6. Cover the filled melon with its top, then cover the pot. Steam for 3 or 4 hours, or until
the inside of the melon is tender.
To serve, bring the whole melon to the table on a flat platter. Serve from the melon
at the table, stirring to mix the ingredients each time. This dish is a bit of a fuss, but
it's worth it both for flavor and appearance. It isn't something to make every Sunday,
however.
SIMPLE SOUP . A simpler version of the same soup can be made by scrubbing, peeling,
and seeding the melon, then cutting it up into small chunks. Simmer in chicken broth
with the other vegetables until the melon is tender. It is just as good and much quicker
— though not nearly so spectacular — as cooking the melon whole.
Fuzzy Gourd
M AO G UA , T SIT G UA
Benincasa hispida var. chieh-gua
(color photo, page xi)
If the size of winter melons intimidates you, the fuzzy gourd will be just right. Its culture
and growth habit are similar to the winter melon. If you're especially fond of these
Chinese melons, this will give you an earlier crop than the winter melon. It also goes
by the names hairy melon, hairy gourd, and hairy cucumber.