Winter Melons - Thirst Quencher, Vitamin Storehouse Extraordinaire

Always look to Nature for the answers to a healthy life and my grandparents have always tried to infuse this thought into us eversince we were young.

"Look at the foodstalls and see what is in season and eat it. It will help counter all ills of that moment." This has been what my grandparents used to tell us when we were young. And like doting granparents, they will serve us various concoctions, meals and herbal drinks, to keep us healthy as an ox.

This recipe is eaten when the weather is hot and humid. The wintermelons, known to the Chinese as Tungkwa, assists in dissipating internal heat. If the weather is hot and you don't get enough sleep during the humid nights, your liver will be warm and hot. This can be seen from bloodshot eyes and bad breath as the heat seeks ways to emerge from your body. If it can't, your blood will work hard to extract toxins, and boils (and in the younger set, pimples) appear.

So here goes and hope you will enjoy its goodness on a hot day.


Steamed winter melon with chicken

Ingredients:-
1 medium size winter melon
15 red dates,stone removed
20 kei chi
50gm dried longan
2 slices of chicken meat (choose breasts-side)
2 tablespoons water
50gm rock sugar

Method:
1.Slice off the top of winter melon, remove seeds and scoop a big hole for stuffing the above ingredients.
2.Combine all the ingredients and put into the melon.
3. Replace the top of the melon.
4. Sit the whole melon in a deep, heat-proof bowl and steam this over low heat for 1-2 hours. Serve hot.