Also known asWinter Melon · Wax Gourd · Petha · Benincasa hispida · 冬瓜
Name: Ash gourd, also called winter melon, wax gourd, white gourd or dong gua (Benincasa hispida) — a very large, oval, pale green gourd, covered with a waxy, ash-like bloom as it ripens, with mild, white, spongy flesh.
Description
Ash gourd is native to Southeast Asia, and has been grown in China, India and across Asia for thousands of years, valued because it can be stored for months without refrigeration, thanks to its thick, waxy skin. Despite its name “winter melon,” it is a summer-harvested gourd.
It is a staple of Chinese soups, such as winter melon soup, often steamed in the gourd itself, and in India it is cooked into curries and the sweet confection petha, from Agra. Its flesh is very mild and watery, and absorbs flavours from the broth or sauce it is cooked in.
Main nutrition value
Ash gourd is extremely low in calories, with a very high water content, and provides small amounts of vitamin C, potassium and fibre.
How best to be consumed
Ash gourd is cooked, and soaks up the flavour around it.
- Peel, deseed and cut into chunks, then simmer in soups with pork, dried scallops or mushrooms.
- Steam a whole gourd filled with broth and ingredients, as in Chinese banquets.
- Cook into Indian curries and sambar, or candy into petha.
- Boil into a sweet tea or drink, as in Chinese and Taiwanese cooking.
- Store whole gourds in a cool place, where they keep for months.
Overconsumption could cause…
Ash gourd is safe in food amounts.
- Little nutritional value if it replaces more nutritious foods.
- Digestive upset such as loose stools from large amounts.
- Bitter fruit, which should be discarded.
- Added sugar in candied forms, such as petha.
Wikipedia — Benincasa hispida, used for origin, naming and history: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benincasa_hispida
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