Feb

Lunchbox Recipe #16: Stir-Fried Hairy Melon With Prawns And Egg

Hairy melon (known also as fuzzy melon or fuzzy squash) is a special vegetable from Asia. We also call it marrow green in Singapore. It should be available at most Asian supermarkets or specialty product stores.

It’s exterior looks like a large kiwi, with the fine hairs, but the interior comes as a cross between winter melons and zucchini. To me, at least. LOL.

It must be peeled before cooking and has a mild taste. We usually cook it as a stir-fry dish or soup. This recipe below is quite simple to follow and is a good variation to the usual broccoli, bok choy and cabbage stir-fry.

Ingredients (Serves 3 adults):

Half a medium-sized hairy melon (or a small one)
Half a small carrot
6-8 medium prawns, deshelled and deveined
1 teaspoon garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons cooking oil
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
Dash of ground pepper
1 egg, beaten

Instructions:

Step 1: Slice prawns into halves sideways. Peel hairy melon and carrot. Cut into strips about 2-inch long and set aside. There are seeds inside which can be eaten, but if you do not like it, you can remove the seeds when cutting.

Step 2: Heat up a wok or pan with cooking oil. Add in the chopped garlic.

Step 3: When garlic starts to brown, add in carrot strips (because carrots take longer to cook). Stir fry for 1 minute. Add in the prawns and hairy melon strips. Stir-fry till carrot and hairy melon strips are soft.

Step 4: Add sugar and salt for seasoning. Stir-fry for another 1 minute.

Step 5: Pour the beaten egg evenly on the vegetables and stir-fry to blend well. Add a dash of ground pepper. Stir-fry a few more times. It’s ready to serve!