Stuffed White Gourd with Ham

With its fresh aroma, white gourd is said to be a tonic on a hot year round, the summer crop is said to be of the highest quality. Not surprisingly, therefore, white gourd has become a particularly popular summer vegetable. Its flavor is often enhanced by the addition of seafood or meat.

Though white gourd is rarely used in banquet dishes, "stuffed white gourd with ham" is a mouth-watering specialty. Method is as follows:

1. Peel off the green skin and scoop out the seeds from 2 lbs. of white gourd. Cut into 20 slices 1 inch wide and 1.5 inch long in the shape of a hot dog bun.

2. Mix 0.5 lb. of ground pork with 2 T. scallion and ginger juice, 1 t. salt, 1 t. wine, 2 t. cornstarch, 1 t. sesame oil, 0.75 t. black pepper Stir the pork mixture in one direction until it is sticky.

3. Cut 2. oz. ham into 20 thin slices 0.5 inch wide, and 1.5 inches long.

4. Place 0.5 T of pork mixture and one piece of ham into a slit cut into each piece of white gourd. Arrange the stuffed white gourd in a bowl. Add 0.5 C. of soup stock. Steam it for 20 minutes.

5. Turn the bowl upside down to remove the white gourd face down onto a platter.

6. Boil 2/3 C. of soup stock and season it with 0.5 t. of salt, and 0.75t. of black pepper. Add 2 t. corn-starch and stir until thickened. Add 0.5 T. of chicken oil. Pour over the white gourd and serve hot.