The vegetarian dishes made from gourd always have a sweet, delicious, and rich flavor that pairs perfectly with rice. Let’s get cooking with TasteVN to make 3 unique and delicious vegetarian gourd dishes with pepper, tofu, and straw mushrooms for your family meal!
1. Gourd stewed with pepper
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Preparation
10 minutes
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Cooking
30 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Gourd Stewed with Pepper Serves 4
Gourd 1 piece (about 700g) Green onion 5 stalks Red onion 2 bulbs Garlic 2 cloves Chili 2 pieces Fish sauce 2 tablespoons Cooking oil 2 tablespoons Common spices a little (Sugar/salt/vegetarian seasoning/msg/pepper)
Ingredient photo
How to make Gourd Stewed with Pepper
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Prepare the ingredients
Leave the gourd whole and soak it in diluted salt water for about 5 minutes, then rinse with clean water.
Next, cut the gourd into bite-sized pieces about 1/2 finger length, rinse with clean water 2 – 3 times, and drain.
Trim the roots off the green onions, wash them, drain, and chop them, keeping the green tops separate. Peel the red onions and garlic, and chop them. Chop the chili.
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Marinate the gourd
Marinate the gourd with 1 teaspoon of pepper, 2 teaspoons of monosodium glutamate, 2 teaspoons of vegetarian seasoning, 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1/2 of the red onion, and 1/2 of the green onion.
Stir well and let it marinate for about 15 minutes for the gourd to absorb the spices.
Tip: When marinating, you can add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil for the gourd to have a glossy color, making it look more appealing.
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Cook the gourd
Place a pot on the stove over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of cooking oil, and 1 tablespoon of sugar. Stir continuously until the sugar turns a brown color, then add the red onion, garlic, and the green onion’s bulb to sauté until fragrant.
Next, add the gourd and cook for about 3 minutes, then add 350ml of water, 2 tablespoons of fish sauce, 1.5 tablespoons of sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. Stir well and let it cook for about 10 minutes.
When you see the sauce thickening, taste and adjust the seasoning as needed, add the green onion, 1/2 teaspoon of pepper, chopped chili, and turn off the heat.
Tip:- During the cooking process, remember to turn the gourd regularly for the spices to absorb evenly into the pieces of gourd.
- If you prefer less spice, you can reduce the amount of pepper and chili to suit your taste.
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Finished Product
You scoop the stewed squash onto a plate and enjoy it with hot rice; the stewed squash with pepper has a soft, sweet taste, salty, sweet, and spicy flavor, and the sauce is thick, ensuring it will make you want more rice.
2. Stewed Squash with Tofu
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Preparation
10 minutes
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Cooking
30 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Stewed Squash with Tofu Serves 4 people
Squash 1 piece (about 300 – 500g) Tofu 150 g Chicken Leg Mushrooms 100 g Chili 2 pieces Chili Sauce 1 tablespoon Soy Sauce 4 tablespoons Cooking Oil 1 tablespoon Common Seasoning a little (Sugar/Salt/Seasoning powder)
How to choose fresh ingredients
How to choose good tofu
- To select a good piece of tofu that does not contain gypsum, choose pieces that are off-white, avoiding those that are yellow or overly yellow.
- Choose pieces that feel light and smooth to the touch, as these are good tofu.
- Fresh and pure tofu will have a distinctive fragrant smell, while tofu containing impurities will have a faint smell resembling lime.
- When cooked, pure tofu will have the fragrant, rich aroma of soybeans. Tofu with impurities will have a slightly bitter taste.
How to choose good chicken leg mushrooms
- Choose mushrooms with a thick stem, bright white color, and brown caps, avoiding those that are soft and mushy.
- The average length of mushrooms is usually 12 – 15cm. Avoid choosing mushrooms longer than 15cm, as they tend to be spongy and lack good flavor.
- Choose mushrooms that have a natural mushroom fragrance; fresh chicken leg mushrooms usually have a distinctive aroma similar to almonds. Do not choose mushrooms that smell rotten or musty, as these are old mushrooms.
How to cook Stewed Gourd with Tofu
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Prepare the ingredients
Remove the stems from the chicken leg mushrooms, wash them thoroughly with water, and drain.
Rinse the tofu briefly, dry it, then cut it into pieces about 1 finger thick.
Leave the gourd whole and soak it in diluted salt water for about 5 minutes, then rinse with clean water.
Next, cut the gourd into bite-sized pieces about 1/2 finger length, rinse with clean water 2 – 3 times, and drain.
Tip: If the gourd is old and has a thick skin, it is better to peel it; the final dish will taste better.
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Braised Gourd
Place a pot on the stove over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil, 1 tablespoon of sugar, stir well until the sugar turns a caramel color, then add 4 tablespoons of soy sauce and 8 tablespoons of water.
Next, add the gourd and braise for about 2 minutes.
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Completion
Add mushrooms and tofu to braise together for about 5 – 10 minutes.
Season with 1 tablespoon of chili sauce, 2 chili peppers, 1 teaspoon of seasoning powder, 2 teaspoons of sugar, adjust the seasoning to taste, then turn off the heat to finish.
Tip:- If you like, you can briefly fry the chicken thigh mushrooms to make them more chewy and delicious.
- Add a bit of chili sauce to make the dish slightly spicy, rich, and tastier.
- You can reduce the sauce to make it thicker or leave it as a dipping sauce for boiled vegetables, depending on your preference.
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Finished Product
A plate of stewed gourd with hot and fragrant tofu, the gourd is soft and sweet, the chicken thigh mushrooms are sweet, and the tofu absorbs the flavor just right, very delicious and appealing.
3. Stewed Gourd with Straw Mushrooms
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Preparation
10 minutes
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Cooking
30 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Stewed Gourd with Straw Mushrooms For 4 people
Gourd 1 piece (about 500g) Straw mushrooms 1 kg Shallots 1 bulb Garlic 4 cloves Green onions 2 stalks Chili 5 pieces Soy sauce 2 tablespoons Cooking oil 1 tablespoon Vegetarian fish sauce 2 tablespoons Common seasoning a little (Salt/sugar/seasoning powder/pepper/msg)
How to Choose Good Straw Mushrooms
- For straw mushrooms, you should choose mushrooms that are round, still in bud, fresh, and of uniform size.
- Do not choose mushrooms that have fully opened; black straw mushrooms will be tastier than white ones.
- Be careful not to buy soft or moldy straw mushrooms.
How to cook Gourd with Straw Mushrooms
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Prepare the straw mushrooms
Cut off the stems of the straw mushrooms, then boil them in diluted salt water for about 3 – 4 minutes and rinse them thoroughly, allowing them to drain.
Tip:
- Boiling the straw mushrooms briefly will reduce the unhealthy substances.
- If you don’t like boiling them, you can soak them in diluted salt water as well.
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Marinate the straw mushrooms
Marinate the straw mushrooms with 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of MSG, 1/2 teaspoon of seasoning powder, 1 tablespoon of sugar, 2 tablespoons of vegetarian fish sauce, and 2 tablespoons of soy sauce.
Stir well and let it marinate for 15 minutes for the mushrooms to absorb the flavors.
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Prepare other ingredients
Peel and mince the shallots and garlic. Clean and chop the green onions.
Cut the gourd into bite-sized pieces about 3 finger lengths, then soak the gourd in diluted salt water for about 5 minutes, then remove and let it drain.
Tip: Soaking the gourd in diluted salt water after cutting helps keep it white and prevents browning.
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Cooking the dish
Place a pot on the stove over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil, and sauté the shallots and garlic until fragrant.
When the shallots and garlic are fragrant, add the straw mushrooms and cook for about 2 minutes, then add 200ml of water and the gourd, and cook for another 3 minutes.
Stir gently, adjust the seasoning to taste, then cook for an additional 3 minutes, adding green onions, 1 teaspoon of pepper, and chili before turning off the heat.
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Final product
Gourd with straw mushrooms is delicious and evenly infused with spices. The gourd is soft and tasty, and the straw mushrooms are sweet and rich in flavor. A rustic dish that is easy to make, both light and delicious.
How to choose young, delicious gourds
- You should choose medium-sized gourds that are long and slender, with green skin, still fuzzy, soft skin (easy to press with a fingernail), feel heavy in hand, thick stems, and fresh sap marks indicating they are young, which will be soft and sweet when eaten.
- Avoid choosing overly large gourds, with hard skin and yellowish color, as these are mature, with many seeds, firm flesh, and will taste sour, which can affect the flavor of the dish.
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Above are 3 ways to make vegetarian stewed gourd with unique and delicious flavors for a great home meal, simple yet nutritious. Wishing you success with the recipes shared by TasteVN!
*Refer to images and recipes from the YouTube channel: TU LE MIEN TAY and HONG THANH FOOD, DELICIOUS DISHES EASY TO MAKE
