Shark Fin Melon is an interesting vegetable. From afar, the melon may be mistaken for water melon, they have about the same size, both are green and has patterns on their outer skin. Except that the patterns are slightly distinguishable for both melons. Wiki classified this melon as Cucurbita ficifolia, a species of squash, grown for its edible seeds, fruit, and greens. Locally, it is more well-known as shark fin melon (鱼翅瓜), as the locals cook it in soups, where the pulp strands will separate out to imitate like shark fins. This melon is said to help people with diabetes (it is used to treat diabetes due to its high D-Chiro-Inositol content).
I have made a blog on cooking “Imitation Shark Fins Soup” using Shark Fin melon, this blog will show another super-easy method to cook Sharkfin Melon. I am going to stir-fry it like Marrow Green (vegetable). When the melon is stir fried, it tastes a bit sweet, like Marrow Green.
For this dish, I cut the Sharkfin Melon into long strips for frying. The melon will also give out some liquid during the cooking process.
For the seasonings, you can adjust the level of saltiness to your preference. But do bear in the mind that Silver Fish is also salty in nature, so when you put in the seasonings for the melon, be less generous with the seasonings so that the overall tastes is just nicely saltiness enough. (If you under-season the melon before adding in the silver fish, you can still add more seasoning later. But if you over-season, then there is no turning back).
For the dried silver fish, first rinse them in water and then drain off the water immediately. I do this immediately before frying them to crispy. You do not need to immerse the dried silver fish in water for a period of time to remove the salt.
As my blog promotes healthy eating, you can see that I use very little oil to fry any meat/vegetables. I do not do deep frying but I can still achieve the crispiness texture with little oil for most of the food that I cook.
Stir Fry Shark Fin Melon Recipe
(Preparation time: 15 mins)
Ingredients:
1/2 of a quarter Sharkfin Melon (Just peel the skin, no need to de-seed)
1-2 clove of garlic (chopped to small pieces)
A handful of Silver Fish
1 1/2 tbsp Vegetable oil (approx.)
1/2 tbsp Oyster Sauce (approx.)
1 tsp Soya Sauce (approx.)
1 tsp Sesame Oil (approx.)
Dash of Pepper to taste
Method:
- In a saucepan over medium heat, pour in about 1/2 tbsp oil, and fry the Silver fish. Fry the Silver Fish until crispy. Take out the Silver fish and set aside. (The secret to using little oil to fry the silver fish to crisp – is do not keep stirring or flipping the tiny fishes. Let it cook to crisp on one side, then flip to the other side).
- Pour in another 1 tbsp oil, fry the garlic until fragrance, Once it turns slightly brown, pour in the long strips of Sharkfin Melon and fry. Stir fry occasionally only. Fry a few minutes until the melon turn color or cooked.
- Off the heat, pour in the seasonings (oyster sauce, soya sauce, sesame oil, pepper) for tasting, mixed well with the vegetables.
- Serve the stir fry Shark fin melon hot, top with the crispy Silver fish.