Serves 4-6 people
750 g piece of wintermelon
1 thumb of ginger (sliced)
3 spring onions (cut into 5cm segments)
2 star anise
3 tbsp light soy sauce
100 ml shaoxing wine
120 ml water
2 tbsp brown sugar
½ tsp dark soy sauce
4 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp cornstarch (dissolved in ½ cup water)
salt (to taste)
chopped spring onions (to garnish)

Recipe Courtesy of
Sarah Huang Benjamin

Braised Dong Po Wintermelon

This is a plant-based take on the classic Chinese dish Dong Po Rou, replacing meat with wintermelon that looks surprisingly like the original pork belly! I love how the wintermelon absorbs the flavors of the sauce and becomes beautifully soft. Perfect for meat-eaters and vegetarians alike, this Braised Dong Po Wintermelon is a must-have at your Chinese New Year gathering.

Difficulty: Medium

Preparation: 15 min
Cook: 80 min
Clean up: 15 min

Steps: 4 steps
14 Ingredients

Difficulty: Medium
Steps: 4 steps
14 Ingredients

Preparation: 15 min
Cook: 80 min
Clean up: 15 min

Instructions

Fry wintermelon
- Using a vegetable peeler, peel the dark green skin off the wintermelon, leaving the slightly harder ‘pith’ part on. Cut the wintermelon into thick slices.
- Heat up the vegetable oil over high heat in a large pan with a lid. Pat the wintermelon slices very dry, then fry the pith side in the oil, until golden brown. Set aside.

Make dongpo sauce
- Stir the light soy, water, Shaoxing wine, brown sugar, dark soy sauce and sesame oil together until combined to make the sauce.
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Make dongpo wintermelon
- Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of oil, and saute the ginger, spring onion and star anise until fragrant.
- Place the wintermelon slices in the pan, on top of the aromatics. Pour in the sauce, and bring to the boil.
- Turn the heat down to let the sauce simmer gently for 1 hour, turning the wintermelon every 20 minutes to ensure that all sides are cooked in the sauce.
- When the wintermelon is tender, pick the slices out carefully and lay them in a serving bowl.
- Taste the sauce and season with salt if necessary
- Stir the cornstarch-water mixture into the gravy, and boil until thickened. Pour over the wintermelon.

Plate and Serve!

Garnish with spring onion and serve!

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Name: Braised Dong Po Wintermelon
Prep time: P0Y0M0D0H15M0S
Cook time: P0Y0M0D1H20M0S
Total time: P0Y0M0D1H35M0S
Yield: Serves 4-6 people
Cuisine: Asian
Ingredients: 750 g piece of wintermelon; 1 thumb of ginger (sliced); 3 spring onions (cut into 5cm segments); 2 star anise; 3 tbsp light soy sauce; 100 ml shaoxing wine; 120 ml water; 2 tbsp brown sugar; ½ tsp dark soy sauce; 4 tbsp vegetable oil; 2 tbsp cornstarch (dissolved in ½ cup water); salt (to taste); chopped spring onions (to garnish)