I've been computerless for a few days.
Fuzzy melon is a chinese thing. Here's a link:
http://www.asiafood.org/glossary_1.c...no=27&endno=51
Fuzzy melon
Benincasa hispida
A species of wax gourd, also known as hairy melon and Chinese vegetable marrow, they are either shaped like a squat eggplant or elongated, like an overgrown zucchini. Amazingly, they share the same botanical identification as that much larger wax gourd, the winter melon. Winter melons mature to enormous proportions. Coloured and shaped like large, round watermelons, they are named for the whitish blotches on the skin which are said to resemble patches of snow.
Fuzzy melons, on the other hand, are harvested and eaten immature, at which stage they have a covering of fuzz that disappears if the melon is allowed to grow past its peak to maturity.
Purchasing and storing: Choose the smallest, youngest specimens, which will be firmer. Expect the skin to have a mottled green appearance with a covering of fine, short white hairs. Use within a few days as, like most gourds, they lose their firm texture with keeping.
Preparation: Fuzzy melon needs to be peeled or scrubbed well to remove all trace of hairs before it can be eaten. It may be cut into chunks and steamed, scooped out and filled then steamed, stir-fried with oyster sauce or stir-fried with meat.
Other Languages:
China: mao gwa, tseet gwa
Japan: heari meron
Malaysia: timum balu
Thailand: faeng
Vietnam: bi
Sarah
chipper15173 , 01-29-2005 07:09 PM
