My Bangladeshi friends gave me this squash today
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They call it Chinese Cumra and they said it is really productive. I've been told that it can be eaten raw, or sliced and dipped in flour and fried.
Anyone else tried it?
not tried it, Squash but it's a lovely looker ;D
It looks lovely!!
Is it a winter or summer squash?
Duke
looks exactly like the shark's fin melon. Whitish flesh, black seeds and less actual squash inside than it looks. Struggled to use it. Looked lovely, though
At least its a respectable shape ;D
I've just cooked some, I won't be doing it again!
I did it as advised by my Bangla friends, dipped in egg and flour and fried. Very sloppy texture and no flavour. The best part about it was the coating!
I think Bugloss is right about it being a sharks fin melon. I tasted some raw and there was a very slight melon flavour, but not much.
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I'm sure I will be asked if I enjoyed it - if I say yes, they will probably give me more but I don't want to hurt their feelings by telling them I didn't like it. :(
Oh dear :'( well now you know!!
All part of the ups and downs of veggie growing.
Duke
It could probably just be cook in other dishes. If it is shark-fin melon, don't people make soup out of that? I've never tried it.
And some bland mushy things become delicious if cooked in the right way ...
... but what that right way would be....??? ;D
Chinese winter melon, best used in soups. special recipes on the net to get the best out of it.
There's an asian plotholder on my site grows these. She gives a lot of them away but becuase noone likes them they get composted and spring up all over the place like weeds.
oh no! To maintain inter-plot diplomatic relations we need some recipes urgently! ;D
Squash, why not take a hint or two from Bangladeshi cuisine? In my experience, it's pretty spicy and your squashes can simply be a vehicle for other flavours - in a vegetable curry, for instance.
Or how about a Thai soup, with a chilli or two in it? For some reason, the variety 'Peter Pepper' springs to mind, although I've not had the pleasure of them, myself... ;D
Quote from: Spudbash on September 06, 2010, 16:04:18
Squash, why not take a hint or two from Bangladeshi cuisine? In my experience, it's pretty spicy and your squashes can simply be a vehicle for other flavours - in a vegetable curry, for instance.
Or how about a Thai soup, with a chilli or two in it? For some reason, the variety 'Peter Pepper' springs to mind, although I've not had the pleasure of them, myself... ;D
Ah but there's a slight problem - I absolutely hate curry!
And as for putting a 'Peter Pepper' into anything, let alone my mouth, well, the mind boggles!
Seriously, thanks for the suggestions and I do agree with you but unfortunately they will not work for me. I can see that it would be ok-ish in soup but the slimey soggy texture is not what I like in a squash.
Fussy b****r aren't I? ;)
If you're stuck, blend it and use it as a soup base.
Dunno if you do this but one of my tricks for dealing with the courgette glut is to fry up an onion in a big wok and then add sliced courgettes til it's full... after a couple of minutes of stir frying at a high temp turn it down and cover it , cook it down till a significant amount of the liquid generated has been reduced, thern blend it. Freeze in single-ladle portions to use as a stock base for other things, it sounds like a gloopy summer squash would be perfect.... the lack of flavour isn't really a hinderance, but it's a useful thing for thickening things without resorting to cornflour.... also useful for stretching a meal for unexpected company, or as a basis for soups.... I do a similar thing with tomatoes, leading to a freezer full of bags marked "red base" and "green base"...
chrisc
There is a special soup recipe on the net, the squash seperates into strands as it simmers, if it is the right squash, and is a delicacy XX Jeannine., Look up sharks fin squash /melon soup.
Quote from: Robert_Brenchley on September 06, 2010, 20:08:24
If you're stuck, blend it and use it as a soup base.
The texture is what the chinese like about this vegetable - it is said to resemble sharkfin, but as Jeanine says it needs to be allowed to break itself up in the soup to achieve this.
The ripe fruits keep incredibly well - so there's very little need to cook it until you need it, though there will probably be a lot left over for freezing!
Most are much larger than yours and have jet black edible seeds - the skins could probably be turned into fruitbowls.
Good ground cover and emergency food stock!
If it is a sharkfin it has leaves more like a fig and has many names:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cucurbita_ficifolia
Cheers.