3 Ways to Cook Stir-Fried Squash with Garlic and Delicious Simple Stir-Fried Squash with Shrimp

Picking Gourd Leaves

When you buy gourd leaves, clean them thoroughly, making sure to peel off all the white membrane on the outside and the leaf veins so that the gourd leaves do not become tough when stir-fried. After washing, gently squeeze the gourd leaves to make it easier for them to absorb the seasoning when stir-frying.

Blanch the squash

Boil a pot of water with a little salt, when the water is boiling, add the squash. Use chopsticks to stir so that the squash cooks evenly for 2 – 3 minutes, then immediately transfer it to a bowl of cold water (or ice water) and soak for about 2 minutes to help the squash retain its green color and become crisper.

Stir-fry the squash

Chop 2 cloves of garlic finely or to your preference.

Then heat a pan with cooking oil over high heat. When the oil is hot, add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, until the garlic turns slightly golden, then add the squash to stir-fry.

Add 3 spoons of seasoning (you can adjust according to taste) and add 1/2 cup of water, stir-fry for about 5 minutes, then turn off the heat.

Final Product

With just a few simple steps, you can have a delicious plate of stir-fried gourd with garlic, crisp greens that don’t get mushy, perfectly seasoned, and fragrant with garlic. Isn’t that wonderful!

Prepare the bottle gourd

Separate the leaves and stalks of the bottle gourd. When picking the stalks, peel them slowly to ensure that a thick fibrous layer is removed without leaving any behind.

For the leaves, peel both sides along the leaf veins to remove some of the outer fibrous layer. Remember to soak the leaves in a bowl of diluted saltwater as soon as you finish peeling. After peeling, gently rub the leaves a bit to reduce their roughness.

Wash the stalks and leaves thoroughly, then drain them in a basket to remove excess water.

Stir-fry the bottle gourd with garlic

Prepare the garlic that has been peeled, crushed, and minced.

Then, place a pan on the stove to heat, add cooking oil, and sauté the minced garlic until fragrant and golden, then add the stalks of the bottle gourd to stir-fry first before adding the leaves.

While stir-frying, season with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of monosodium glutamate. This way, the seasoning will be evenly absorbed into the vegetables.

Final Product

Plate of stir-fried water spinach with garlic is now complete. The water spinach absorbs the seasoning well and has a strong garlic aroma, incredibly wonderful! Enjoying it with white rice is unbeatable.

Prepare the shrimp

Remove the head of the shrimp, peel the shell, then use a knife to make a shallow cut along the back to extract the shrimp’s intestinal cord; use your hand to gently squeeze the shrimp body so that the intestinal cord protrudes slightly, then pull it out with your hand.

After that, wash the shrimp thoroughly and let them drain.

Prepare the pumpkin leaves

After purchasing the pumpkin leaves, clean them carefully, making sure to remove all the white membrane on the outside and the leaf veins so that the pumpkin leaves do not become tough when stir-fried. After washing, gently squeeze the pumpkin leaves to allow them to absorb the seasoning better when stir-frying.

Marinate the shrimp

Add to the shrimp 1/2 teaspoon of white wine, 1 teaspoon of seasoning depending on your taste, and marinate for 10 minutes.

Blanch the pumpkin leaves

Boil a pot of water with a little salt, and when the water boils, add the pumpkin leaves. Use chopsticks to stir so that the leaves cook evenly for 2 – 3 minutes, then immediately transfer them to a bowl of cold water (or ice water) and soak for about 2 minutes to help the leaves retain their green color and become crisper.

Stir-fried pumpkin leaves with shrimp

Add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil to the pan, when the oil is hot, add 1/2 of the garlic and sauté until fragrant and slightly golden, then add the shrimp and stir-fry until cooked for 1 minute, then remove the shrimp to a bowl.

Next, add another tablespoon of cooking oil to the pan and sauté the remaining garlic until fragrant, then add the pumpkin leaves and stir-fry until cooked, seasoning to taste. After about 4 minutes, add the cooked shrimp back in and stir well, then turn off the heat and serve on a plate.

Final Product

The plate of stir-fried pumpkin leaves with shrimp has a beautiful color combination of green from the leaves and red from the shrimp. When eaten, the pumpkin leaves absorb the seasoning and have a fragrant garlic aroma along with the chewy, flavorful shrimp, truly wonderful!