Treasure-Stuffed Dragon Luffa

Name: Treasure-Stuffed Dragon Luffa
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 55 min
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 150 g Luffa (peeled, cut into 20 segments about 4 cm long; hollow out two-thirds of each center, leaving one-third); 25 g Prepared shrimp meat; 15 g Cooked ham (10 g finely diced, 5 g minced); 10 g Cooked chicken (finely diced); 10 g Rehydrated shiitake mushrooms (finely diced); 10 g Cooked dried scallops (finely diced); 100 g Thick fish paste (for sealing); 20 g Winter bamboo shoots (finely diced); 5 g Minced scallion; 3 g MSG; 25 g Shaoxing wine; 2 g Fine salt (2 g total, partly used in the filling); 20 g Wet cornstarch slurry; 15 g Rendered chicken fat; 100 g Rendered pork fat (for stir-frying); 150 g Clear broth

A traditional specialty from Zhejiang province, this dish uses a whole loofah (sponge gourd) as a vessel, stuffed with a filling of shrimp, Chinese ham, and dried scallops, then steamed and finished with a glossy thickened sauce.

55 min

Medium

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Ingredients

Luffa (peeled, cut into 20 segments about 4 cm long; hollow out two-thirds of each center, leaving one-third) 150 g

Prepared shrimp meat 25 g

Cooked ham (10 g finely diced, 5 g minced) 15 g

Cooked chicken (finely diced) 10 g

Rehydrated shiitake mushrooms (finely diced) 10 g

Cooked dried scallops (finely diced) 10 g

Thick fish paste (for sealing) 100 g

Winter bamboo shoots (finely diced) 20 g

Minced scallion 5 g

MSG 3 g

Shaoxing wine 25 g

Fine salt (2 g total, partly used in the filling) 2 g

Wet cornstarch slurry 20 g

Rendered chicken fat 15 g

Rendered pork fat (for stir-frying) 100 g

Clear broth 150 g

Instructions

Prep the luffa

Peel the luffa, cut it into 20 segments about 4 cm long, hollow out two-thirds of the center of each segment leaving one-third intact, and set aside.

Prepare the diced filling ingredients

Finely dice 10 g of the ham together with the chicken, dried scallops, bamboo shoots, and shiitake mushrooms into small cubes; mince the remaining 5 g of ham separately.

Stir-fry the shrimp

Heat the wok, add the pork fat and heat to about 40% hot (around 88 °C / 190 °F), add the shrimp and stir to separate the pieces, then drain through a strainer to remove the oil.

Cook the filling

In the same wok, add the chicken, dried scallops, bamboo shoots, shiitake mushrooms, and ham and stir briefly. Pour in the Shaoxing wine, add 0.5 g of fine salt and 1 g of MSG, add the diced shrimp, and pour in a small amount of clear broth. Once it comes to a boil, thicken with wet cornstarch to bind the filling.

Stuff the luffa segments

Dust the luffa segments with dry cornstarch, stuff each segment with the filling, and seal the opening with the thick fish paste. Top the fish paste with a little ham and minced scallion.

Steam the stuffed luffa

Steam until fully cooked through, drain off any liquid that collects, and arrange the segments on a serving plate.

Make and pour the sauce

In a wok, combine the clear broth with 1.5 g of fine salt and 2 g of MSG; once boiling, thicken with wet cornstarch, pour the sauce over the stuffed luffa, and finish with a drizzle of rendered chicken fat.