What do you do with winter melon seeds?
Use in soups and stews, such as winter melon soup. When preparing winter melon, the skin and seeds need to be completely removed – only the white flesh is edible. Once the white flesh has been separated, it can be sliced or cubed, depending on what you're cooking. It can be steamed, boiled, simmered, parboiled, or braised.
What are some Indian recipes that use winter melon?
Indian recipes for sweet treats utilize winter melon in clear candies, and it is used as an ingredient in a filling for pastries that are similar to moon cakes. Some recipes call for the winter melon to be steamed and used as a vessel to serve a hearty soup. The neutral flavor can also be incorporated in stir-fry dishes with savory meats.
What is winter melon and what does it taste like?
Winter melon is a large, mildly sweet fruit that’s commonly used in Asian and Indian recipes. It’s lightly cooked and added to soups, stir-fries, casseroles, sweet dishes and beverages to provide fiber and a range of micronutrients.
Can you leave winter melon on the vine?
Be sure to leave winter melon on the vine until completely ready to be harvested. Winter melons have a multitude of uses in the kitchen, so many so in fact, that they truly could be unlimited! Often used in Chinese cooking, you can usually find winter melon at your local Asian markets. Use in soups and stews, such as winter melon soup.
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How do you eat winter melon?
Winter melon should not be consumed raw. First, the skin and seeds must be removed. Then the flesh of the fruit can be sliced or cubed and lightly cooked. The fruit can be simmered, steamed, grilled, roasted and parboiled for about five minutes.
Is winter melon edible raw?
Unlike a watermelon, the flesh and seeds are white, it's relatively tasteless, and it cannot be eaten raw. Instead, recipes with winter melon often call for steaming, simmering, or parboiling, but be careful not to overcook it—it can get mushy.
What is winter melon good for?
Winter melons, in addition to vitamin B and C, have high quantities of zinc, potassium, phosphorus, iron, dietary fiber, and other vitamins and minerals in trace amounts. These nutrients together make for a very strong dietary supplement, which is why winter melon is a widely respected plant throughout the world.
What does a winter melon taste like?
Wintermelon by itself has a very mild and somewhat bland flavour when the fruit is still unripe. The taste is similar to that of cucumber – refreshing and vegetal, with a slight grass-like flavour. When aged, wintermelon loses some of its taste and becomes slightly bland but still retains its refreshing properties.
How do you know when a winter melon is ripe?
Winter melons are ready to harvest when the mature fruit has an ashy appearance, and the stem has withered and turned brown. The ripe melon will smell sweet on the stem end and will be large and heavy. You may want to harvest immature winter melons, too. The flavor is somewhat sweeter from younger melons.
How long will winter melon keep in the fridge?
Unwashed whole winter melon can be stored in a cool, dark, dry place for up to 5 months. Once sliced, you should always wrap it with plastic wrap and store it in the fridge, where it will last up to 1 week.
Is winter melon good for kidneys?
It's used as a diuretic in ancient medicine to wash away salts, lipids, water, and other pollutants from the body. Winter melon aids in effective detoxification and improves the function of the kidneys and liver.
Is winter melon good for detox?
It helps to detoxify the body. Winter melon induces detoxification and it is through urination that all the excess fats, toxins, water and salts from the body are eliminated. Winter melon helps the liver and kidney to perform at optimum levels.
Who should not eat ash gourd?
#1 It is said that having excess amounts of ash gourd juice or for a prolonged period can cause phlegm. This can be attributed to its waxy nature and can be detrimental in general as well as for people who have asthma or bronchitis. #2 The vegetable also has a high amount of minerals in it.
How do you cut a winter melon?
This helps you to remove the rind easily. Then, proceed to scrape off the seeds with a spoon along with the soft flesh surrounding them. Cut into squares – Once your winter melon is clean, peeled, and seeded, you can now proceed to slice it. Usually, we cut the melon into squares.
Is there caffeine in winter melon tea?
Winter melon milk tea has a delicate taste, it is caffeine- free and it can be served hot or cold. This is a versatile tea drink you can make at home using fresh winter melon or syrup. This is all you need to know about winter melon milk tea and out favorite recipe to make it at home.
Can winter melon be frozen?
Whole Winter melons will keep for 3 to 5 months when stored in a cool, dark place away from direct sunlight. Once sliced, the melon pieces will keep up to one week when stored in a plastic bag in the refrigerator's crisper drawer. Peeled and raw Winter melon chunks can also be frozen for extended use.
Can hairy gourd be eaten raw?
The best quality chi quas are the hairy ones! This shows that they are young and fresh. Very young chi quas can be eaten raw, but the vegetables are more usually cooked. They have a mild, pleasant flavour not unlike zucchini.
Can you eat fuzzy melon raw?
Moqua has a creamy white flesh when young; as it matures, the flesh loses its subtle sweet flavor. Prepare moqua as you would summer squash or zucchini; steam or sautee, roast, add to soups or stews, or simply eat it raw (remove fuzzy white hairs from immature moqua before eating).
Who should not drink ash gourd juice?
#1 It is said that having excess amounts of ash gourd juice or for a prolonged period can cause phlegm. This can be attributed to its waxy nature and can be detrimental in general as well as for people who have asthma or bronchitis. #2 The vegetable also has a high amount of minerals in it.
Is Wintermelon a fruit or vegetable?
What is Winter Melon? While the name “melon” might make people believe that this is a fruit, winter melon is actually a large vine vegetable, with pale white flesh and a fuzzy interior. The sole member of the Benincasa genus, winter melon goes by many different names, including ash gourd, fuzzy gourd, and tallow gourd.
Buying, Cooking, and Recipes
Rhonda Parkinson is a freelance writer who has authored many cookbooks, including two Everything guides to Chinese cooking.
What Is Winter Melon?
Winter melon, scientifically called Benincasa hispida, is also commonly called ash gourd, wax gourd, white gourd, and winter gourd. It is a member of the gourd family (Cucurbitaceae), commonly referred to as cucurbits, which includes cucumbers, melons, zucchini, pumpkins, and other squash .
How to Cook With Winter Melon
The skin and seeds need to be removed when preparing winter melon, including the soft flesh that holds the seeds. Once the harder white flesh is cubed or sliced, it can be steamed, simmered, braised, or parboiled and added to stir-fries. It becomes softer when cooked and, due to its mild flavor, it's often seasoned with strong spices and herbs.
What Does It Taste Like?
Mature winter melon has a very mild taste, while the immature fruit is sweet. It's often compared to the taste of cucumber, with a refreshing, almost grassy flavor. If you've eaten the white rind of a watermelon, it's nearly identical to winter melon.
Winter Melon Recipes
A famous Chinese dish is winter melon soup, where slices of the melon are simmered in a broth with Chinese dried mushrooms, ham, and seasonings. You will find it in recipes for the Chinese wife cake (also called sweetheart cake) and the Indian treat petha, a soft, translucent candy from Agra, and in curries.
Where to Buy Winter Melon
Winter melon can be found in most Asian supermarkets year-round. Whole winter melon might be available while in season. However, since this is such a large fruit, it's easier to find it already cut into pieces. Whether whole or sliced, the fruit should be firm and unbruised.
Storage
Whole winter melon will keep in a cool place for months and likely up to one year. Once sliced, the melon will last for a couple of days if placed in a plastic bag in the crisper section of the refrigerator. Winter melon can be preserved by pickling as well.
What Is Winter Melon?
Winter melon, or ash gourd, is a fruit that’s commonly used in Chinese and Indian cuisine. With the scientific name Benincasa hispida, it’s a member of the Cucurbitaceae or gourd family, along with cucumbers, melons and zucchini. It also goes by the names wax gourd, white gourd and winter gourd.
Nutrition
Winter melon is made up of mostly water, like watermelon, and it’s low in calories. It provides a good amount of fiber and nutrients like vitamin C and riboflavin.
Benefits
Research indicates that ash gourd is rich in polyphenols, flavonoids and anthocyanins. For this reason, it’s known as a functional food that has the potential to reduce inflammation and fight cell damage caused by free radicals.
How to Eat
Winter melon should not be consumed raw. First, the skin and seeds must be removed. Then the flesh of the fruit can be sliced or cubed and lightly cooked.
Risks and Side Effects
Consuming wax gourd is safe in normal amounts. It can be added to recipes and beverages just like watermelon and cucumber.
What Are Winter Melons?
Not all melons are as juicy as the typical watermelon you would find in summer. Some, like the winter melon, are much closer to a cucumber or other seedy or dense fruits. In fact, whilst growing into the delicious treat that is enjoyed all around Asia (and more recently – the world) it is covered in hairs.
What Do Winter Melons Taste Like?
Lacking the juicy interior of a watermelon, the winter melon instead has an entirely solid and fleshy centre (except for the seeds, of course). This dense fruit’s insides are often compared to the rind of a normal watermelon. This taste is so similar that you would be hard-pressed to tell the difference in just a simple taste test.
How Best to Store Them?
The winter melon does not play fair when it comes to storage. Whilst most other fruits are edible for up to a week (if they are lucky), this excessively waxy gourd manages to stay perfectly fine for up to a year if stored properly! Cold and dark places are perfect for keeping your winter melons fresh and ready to eat, but you probably guessed that.
Cooking With A Winter Melon
The easiest way to approach cooking with this waxy gourd is to approach it like squash. Preparation of a winter melon requires that you remove the seeds and skin, leaving only the dense flesh for use in dishes. However, unlike other melons, you don’t want to eat this raw – unless you have a thing for rock-solid cubes of food.
Nutrition
Before we get into the nutrition, it is worth mentioning that many cultures, particularly in India, claim that winter melons possess medicinal properties that have led to their use in many homemade remedies for dysentery.
Winter Melon F.A.Qs
A lot bigger than you think, with properly matured melons reaching 80cm in length. In contrast, its width is often a fraction of this leading to a typically elongated shape like an eggplant or aubergine for the UK readers.
Winter Melon Fruit
Winter melon plants grow as a vine and produce fruits that look very similar to squashes. The vine and its leaves also look much alike to those of squashes.
Cultivation
Now that you know a few things about the origins of the winter melon, it’s time to learn how to grow it.
Requirements
Winter melons are annual plants, which means you have to plant it every year to get new crops.
Temperature
Winter melons require a minimum temperature of approximately 60°F (15°C) and not more than 95°F (35°C). These plants are no-frost tolerant and require a period of extended heat to reach maturity.
Planting
I cannot give you an exact date for when it’s the best time to plant the winter melon outside or in unheated protected areas since the climate in different countries and regions can differ quite a lot.
Soil Type
Winter melons grow best in slightly acid soil with a pH level in the 5.5-6.5 range. It also needs to be well-drained and rich in organic matter.
Watering
Winter melons need a good amount of water for healthy growth, especially during the fruit forming period. Yet, they also need well-drained soil, so make sure you don’t overdo it.
1. Prepare the ingredients
Winter melon is available in different sizes. Some winter melons are gigantic and sold in precut portions in supermarkets.
2. Make the soup base
A superior soup base is the foundation of an excellent winter melon soup. You can boil the chicken bone, chicken feet, or chicken carcass to prepare the soup base. Another popular method is to include pork ribs into the recipe.
3. Boil the soup to perfection
I find that boiling the winter melon for about twenty minutes will yield the best texture. Therefore, I will cook other ingredients first before adding the winter melon
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Planting Winter Melon
Winter melons have a long growing season and are usually harvested in late fall.
Harvesting Winter Melon
Winter melon can take a long time to come to fruition, but they'll usually be ready to harvest 110 days after sowing.
How to Cook With Winter Melon
Winter melons have a multitude of uses in the kitchen, so many so in fact, that they truly could be unlimited! Often used in Chinese cooking, you can usually find winter melon at your local Asian markets.
Etymology
- Winter melon, scientifically called Benincasa hispida, also is commonly called the wax gourd, the ash gourd, white gourd, and the winter gourd. Its seasonal name probably comes from the fact that while grown during the summer and autumn, it can be stored and eaten during the winter months. Mature winter melon has a very mild taste, while the immature fruit is sweet.
Characteristics
- Winter melon is a large fruit grown in warm climates that can grow beyond 1 foot long and weigh more than 40 pounds. It resembles a large watermelon with its oblong shape and dark-green, waxy skin. Unlike a watermelon, the inside of the flesh and seeds are white, it is tasteless, and it cannot be eaten raw. When it is immature, the outside of the fruit is fuzzy. Once it matures, it los…
Preparation
- Cubed or sliced, winter melon can be steamed, simmered, braised, or parboiled and added to stir-fries. Best used in soups, you can season this rather mild and bland melon with strong spices and herbs. Winter melon is suitable for pickling and can be diced and candied. Whole winter melons will keep in a cool place for months and likely up to one yea...
Cuisine
- In the Philippines, it is candied and called kundol and used as a filling for bakpia, also known as hopia, which are sweet bean-filled mooncake pastries.
Cultivation
- Although winter melon is popular in China, it was originally grown in Egypt. It was introduced to Europe during the Renaissance. Today, this melon is cultivated throughout the world and grown in Europe, Asia, the Americas, and Australia.
Availability
- Winter melon can be found in most Asian supermarkets. Whole winter melon might be available while in season, but it is easier to find cut pieces. The melon slices will last for a couple of days if placed in a plastic bag in the crisper section of the refrigerator.
Uses
- Winter melon is used in Chinese medicine as an herbal treatment for mild urinary tract problems. It is high in vitamin B and in dietary fiber.
Properties
- According to Chinese medicine, foods have a thermal propertywarming, cooling, or neutral. Winter melon is considered to be a yin or cooling food. In addition to counteracting urinary problems, yin foods are a good balance against fever, swelling, high blood pressure, constipation, among other conditions.
What Is Winter Melon?
Nutrition
- Winter melon is made up of mostly water, like watermelon, and it’s low in calories. It provides a good amount of fiber and nutrients like vitamin C and riboflavin. Ash gourd also features health-promoting antioxidants, including flavonoids and carotenes. These compound contribute to the fruit’s potential health benefits. 100 grams of ash gourd containsapproximately the following: 1. …
Benefits
- 1. Provides Antioxidants Research indicatesthat ash gourd is rich in polyphenols, flavonoids and anthocyanins. For this reason, it’s known as a functional food that has the potential to reduce inflammation and fight cell damage caused by free radicals. You’ll find these powerful compounds in winter vegetableslike cabbage and carrots and fruits like blueberries and plums. …
How to Eat
- Winter melon should not be consumed raw. First, the skin and seeds must be removed. Then the flesh of the fruit can be sliced or cubed and lightly cooked. The fruit can be simmered, steamed, grilled, roasted and parboiled for about five minutes. The flesh will become softer when cooked, but be sure not to cook it too long or it will become mushy. C...
Risks and Side Effects
- Consuming wax gourd is safe in normal amounts. It can be added to recipes and beverages just like watermelon and cucumber. It’s not common to experience allergic reactions from winter melon, but if you experience stomach discomfort and any other adverse side effect, stop consuming the fruit immediately.