120 minutes
A traditional Cantonese dish featuring steamed hairy melon bowls filled with a savory mix of water chestnuts, mushrooms, green peas, ham, crabmeat, and roasted duck meat.
Hairy Melons, cut in half crosswise, seeds and center core removed
each
Fresh Water Chestnuts, peeled and minced
each
Dried Black Mushrooms, soaked, drained, and diced
each
Green Peas, fresh or thawed frozen
cups
Salt-Cured Ham, cut into ¹⁄8-inch dice
tablespoons
Fresh-Cooked Crabmeat
tablespoons
Roasted Duck Meat, cut into ¹⁄8-inch dice
tablespoons
cups
1. Prepare the Hairy Melons
Take your hairy melons and cut them in half crosswise. Use a grapefruit knife for precision, ensuring that each half is even.
2. Hollow Out the Hairy Melons
Scoop out the seeds and the center core of each melon half using the same grapefruit knife. Hollowing out the center will create space for the filling.
3. Stabilize the Melons
Wrap the base of each hollowed melon half in a cloth and set them into a heatproof dish, such as a Pyrex custard cup. This helps to stabilize the melon during the steaming process.
4. Fill the Melon Halves
Divide the minced water chestnuts, diced black mushrooms, green peas, Salt-Cured Ham, fresh-cooked crabmeat, and diced Roasted Duck meat evenly among the melon halves.
5. Steam the Melon Halves
Place the filled melon halves into your steamer, cover, and steam them gently for 1.5 hours. The gentle steaming will cook the melon thoroughly without causing it to lose its shape.
6. Serve the Dish
Once steamed, carefully remove the melon halves from the steamer and place them on serving dishes. Serve immediately with small spoons, allowing your guests to enjoy the tender melon flesh along with the savory broth and filling.
Comments (0)