Stir-fried Loofa Squash with Diced Shrimp

Ingredients

2 medium-size loofa squash (called "singua" in Chinese and "buabliem" in Thai), or approximately one pound in weight
8 medium-size shrimps
3-4 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 Tbs. peanut oil
1+ Tbs. fish sauce (nahm bplah), to taste
1-2 dashes of ground white pepper

Peel the fibrous dark green skin off the squashes. Do not cut too deeply so that you do not lose any of its light green, spongy flesh. Slice the loofa in bite-size chunks. (I use a method I call the roll-cut. Starting at the thicker end, cut the squash at a 45 degree angle about an inch from the tip. Then roll the squash over half way and cut again at a 45 degree angle about the same size as the first piece. Continue to roll and cut across to the other end.)

Shell the shrimps. Line two to three of them at a time and cut crosswise in small pieces about the size of a peanut. Chop the garlic.

Heat a wok until hot. Swirl in the oil to coat the wok surface and allow to heat up a few seconds. Add the garlic, stir and follow a few seconds latter with the shrimp pieces. Stir-fry 10-15 seconds, then toss in the loofa. Stir-fry half a minute. Shake in the fish sauce and continue to stir-fry for about one minute. Sprinkle in the white pepper, stir well and serve.

Serves 4 with other dishes in a shared family-style meal.

Note:

Loofa has a delicious, natural sweetness when it is lightly cooked. When cooked longer, the pieces turn a greener color and the texture changes. It loses its sweetness and tastes like a different vegetable.

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Ingredients

Note:

Ingredients in this recipe