Ingredients
- 3 hairy melons, about 2 pounds each (see note)
- ¼ cup crabmeat
- ¼ cup chicken
- 2 Chinese black mushrooms, soaked 1/2-hour in hot water
- 1 teaspoon white Cloud Ear fungus (see note)
- 2 shrimp, medium-size, shelled, deveined, washed
- ⅛ cup bamboo shoots
- ⅛ cup silk squash, peeled, outer portion only (see note)
- 3 cups chicken broth
6 servings
Preparation
- Cut melons in half and remove seeds. Use 3 1/2-inch ends only and discard centers. Scoop out melons, leaving the inner flesh intact. Wash, wrap in wash cloths and insert firmly into tempered glasses. Reserve.
- Chop all ingredients into 1/4-inch pieces. (Save several small pieces of crabmeat to garnish the edges of the melon.) Mix together and divide into 6 equal portions. Place a portion inside each melon cavity. Add chicken broth to within 1/2 inch of top of melon.
- Place melon halves in a steamer. Bring 5 cups of water to a boil in a wok and place steamer over water. Cover and steam for 1 1/2 hours over medium heat. Keep boiling water ready to replace water lost to evaporation.
- When softened remove from steamer, garnish edges with crabmeat and serve immediately.
- Hairy melon, a fuzzy, zucchinilike squash, is available in Chinese groceries along with white Cloud Ear fungus and silk squash.
1 hour 45 minutes
Dining and Cooking