In the chilly late autumn with so many regrets of this love season, why don’t we sit together to enjoy a warm meal? A steamed dish will definitely be an ideal choice to make this meal more memorable. Today, TasteVN will go to the kitchen to introduce you to 2 ways to make steamed stuffed pumpkin with meat, nutritious and delicious, very simple at home!
1. Steamed pumpkin stuffed with pork
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Preparation
30 minutes
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Cooking
1 hour
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Difficulty level
Easy
Ingredients for Steamed Pumpkin Stuffed with Pork For 4 people
Baby pumpkin 2 pieces Ground pork 200 gr Wood ear mushrooms 4 pieces Fresh shiitake mushrooms 10 pieces (fresh oyster mushrooms) Green onions 2 stalks Fish sauce 2 teaspoons Common spices a little (sugar/ seasoning/ pepper)
How to choose fresh ingredients
How to choose fresh pork
- When buying pork, you should choose the part with a balance of lean meat and fat, which will make the dish more appetizing when cooked.
- Good pork will have a dry outer layer, light red or bright pink color. When you press it with your hand, it feels firm and elastic.
- Do not buy meat that is discolored, has an unpleasant smell, is mushy or leaking, as this indicates old pork that has gone bad.
How to choose fresh and delicious shiitake mushrooms
- For the steamed stuffed pumpkin dish, you can use either fresh or dried shiitake mushrooms for a harmonious and delicious result!
- You should choose shiitake mushrooms that are uniformly brownish-yellow, with a distinctive aroma, a firm stem, and a thin layer of fuzz on the cap.
- When buying fresh shiitake mushrooms, you should select those with moderately large caps, tightly closed, and the gills on the cap should form a neat, beautiful, and dry chain.
- Avoid choosing mushrooms with bruises, wrinkled caps, damaged, or slimy. If the mushrooms are dark brown, do not buy them as they may be poisonous.
How to choose delicious black mushrooms (wood ear mushrooms)
- You should buy mushrooms that have large, thick ears and a minimal amount of small mushrooms at the base.
- Fresh mushrooms should have a dark amber color, slightly glossy on the top and a coffee with milk color underneath.
- Remember to limit choosing black mushrooms that look too dark, as these may become mushy when soaked in water and will be less crunchy and not tasty when cooked.
Tools needed
Steamer pot set, pan, knife, cutting board, bowl,…
How to Prepare Steamed Stuffed Pumpkin with Pork
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Prepare the Ingredients
Cut off the top of the pumpkin to make a lid, and remove the seeds from the body of the pumpkin to create space for stuffing the filling inside.
Dried wood ear mushrooms should be placed in a bowl and soaked in clean water for about 30 minutes before cooking to allow the mushrooms to expand evenly and become softer; avoid soaking for too long or leaving them overnight. After that, wash them thoroughly with water a few times and let them drain.
If you are using dried shiitake mushrooms, soak them until soft for about 30 minutes before processing. For fresh shiitake mushrooms, rinse them with water to remove any dirt. Next, use a knife to finely chop the shiitake mushrooms along with the wood ear mushrooms.
Trim off the old leaves and roots of the green onions, then wash them thoroughly with water and cut them into small pieces.
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Marinate the Ground Pork
Add 200g of ground pork to a bowl, then gradually add the chopped wood ear mushrooms, chopped shiitake mushrooms, small-cut green onions, 1 teaspoon of seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon of sugar, 2 teaspoons of fish sauce, and 1/3 teaspoon of pepper. Mix all the ingredients evenly and let it sit for about 5 – 10 minutes for the meat to absorb the spices.
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Stuffing filling into pumpkin
Put the meat filling inside the prepared pumpkin, then cover the top of the pumpkin.
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Steaming stuffed pumpkin
Place a pot on the stove and add 1.5 liters of water and bring to a boil.
Put the stuffed pumpkin in and steam for about 30 – 40 minutes until the pumpkin is soft, then turn off the heat and open the lid to let the pumpkin cool down a bit.
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Final product
Steamed pumpkin with meat has a delicious flavor, the combination of the sweet softness of the pumpkin and the rich meat seasoning, when eaten with rice and a bit of chili sauce will make the dish more flavorful.
2. Steamed pumpkin stuffed with beef
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Preparation
35 minutes
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Cooking time
50 minutes
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Difficulty level
Easy
Ingredients for Steamed Stuffed Pumpkin with Ground Beef Serves 3
Baby pumpkin 1 piece Ground beef 50 gr Onion 1/2 bulb Green onion 4 stalks Soy sauce 1/2 tablespoon Oyster sauce 1 teaspoon Cooking oil 1 teaspoon Salt 1 tablespoon
How to Choose Fresh, Delicious Beef
- You can buy pre-ground beef or buy whole cuts of beef to chop or grind yourself using a meat grinder as well!
- You should choose beef cuts that are bright red with marbled veins and a light pink fat layer.
- Good beef will feel firm when you gently press on it with your finger, showing clear elasticity, not sticky to the touch, and have no unusual odor.
- Avoid buying beef that has turned a pale green or unusually dark red, with dark yellow fat, white spots on the meat fibers, and feels mushy and sticky to the touch.
How to prepare Steamed pumpkin stuffed with ground beef
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Prepare the ingredients
Wash the baby pumpkin thoroughly, cut off the top to make a lid using a knife, and use a spoon to remove all the seeds inside to create space for stuffing.
Then, soak the pumpkin in a bowl of water mixed with 1 tablespoon of salt for about 15 – 20 minutes to remove all the sap.
Cut off the roots of the onion, peel it, wash it thoroughly, and then slice half of the bulb thinly. Also cut off the roots of the green onions, wash them, and chop them finely.
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Marinate the beef
Put the ground beef into a bowl and marinate with a mixture of seasonings including: 1 teaspoon of cooking oil, 1 teaspoon of oyster sauce, and 1/2 tablespoon of soy sauce.
Use chopsticks to stir well and then place it in the refrigerator fridge to marinate for about 10 – 15 minutes for the beef mixture to absorb the seasonings.
How to choose fresh and delicious pumpkin
- You can use baby pumpkin, gourd pumpkin, or any type of pumpkin to make this dish.
- When buying pumpkin, you should choose those that feel heavy in hand, are not bruised or rotten, do not have cracks or scars, and show no signs of being soft or slimy.
- It is advisable to choose pumpkins with stems about 2 finger lengths long and avoid buying those with soft or bruised stems, as they can be stored longer and do not spoil quickly.
So we have learned 2 more ways to make steamed stuffed pumpkin that are delicious and nutritious to refresh the family menu. TasteVN wishes you success in making this dish!
