A foolproof vegetable: Sponge gourd 不可能出錯的絲瓜

The sponge gourd (絲瓜 ), the fruit of luffa (or loofah), a kind of tropical and subtropical vines, is a very popular vegetable in Taiwan. The sponge gourd, by itself, can be stir-fried, steamed or cooked in a little bit of water; and then made to taste by adding some ginger, salt and sugar. It is very delicious and also extremely easy to make. It is always a popular dish when I entertain guests at home.

Recently I explored cooking the sponge gourd with other ingredients. I tried two ways - a vegetarian version and a non-vegetarian version. Both versions turned out extremely delicious. As a result, I love the sponge gourd even more since it proved to be a foolproof vegetable for any chef!

(素食)杏鮑菇麵筋煮絲瓜 (Vegetarian version) Sponge gourd cooked with oyster mushrooms and fried seitan

I cooked the seitan, the oyster mushrooms and the sponge gourd, with the latter two cut into chunks, in a little bit of water; covered the pot; and let it cook until all ingredients became soft. Finally I added some ginger, sugar and salt to taste and thickened the liquid with some corn starch.

蛤蜊金針煮絲瓜 Sponge gourd cooked with daylily and clams, mimicking a dish from "龍翔園"

I cooked the daylily in a little bit of water (as little as possible) for about 3-5 minutes. Then I added some ginger, the clams and the sponge gourd, cut into chunks; covered the pot; and let it cook until the shells of the clams opened and the sponge gourd became soft, about another 5 minutes. Finally I added some wine, sugar and salt to taste and thickened the liquid with some corn starch.