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| Fruit,
Vegetables and Gourds |
Mok Gwa or
common Mango |
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Mok Gwa or Common Mango is very common
in Canton and is available virtually all year round.
It is the fruit of a tree harvested when it is 6-inches
or longer.
Mok Gwa are often grown at the side of allotments, or
to be found lining highways and sidestreets in major
cities. Anyone can pick the fruit if the tree is found
along a pavement (Sidewalk).
Like all Mango's they mature from dark green through
to yellow, these two colours being predominant. Other
types of Mango may have more diverse colour changes,
shapes, or sizes - but these are the standard version.
Mok Gwa are usually eaten fresh, being halved and then
sliced with a large, sharp knife into easily eaten portions.
As with melons, the central seeds are removed, and also
the outer flesh is not eaten.
Medicinal Properties
Chinese regard Mango as having the ability to promote
healthy skin (Fresh Mango), and increase milk production
for breastfeeding mothers (Mango Soup).These are locally
held beliefs unsupported by western medical facts.
They are often served as a sweet course, or
simply eaten ad hoc because somebody has bought
one.
Recipe 1
Mok Gwa and Fa Hin (Chinese Cockles)
This colourful dish is similar to other Cantonese
Cockle recipes, and is about the best of them.
Ingredients:
A splash of cooking oil (1 teaspoon).
1 small and very nasty chilli.
An inch of finely diced fresh wet ginger root.
1 Chinese garlic.
Mango cut into chunks.
1 teaspoon of chicken bouillon
1 rice bowl (or more) of water. I'm not quite
sure how big this is, but 1 gill should about
do it.
Cooking Method:
Into the wok with a smidgeon of oil, throw in
the sliced ginger and diced chilli. Toss for 30
seconds. Throw in the crushed Chinese garlic,
and continue to toss for a further minute. Add
the dry chicken bouillon granules, and keep tossing.
Add a little water and mix thoroughly for 10 seconds.
Add the Mango and continue to toss for a couple
of minutes. Add the rest of the water and bring
back to a simmer. Add a little more water and
about a pound of washed, fresh cockles. Re-cover
and leave to simmer for at least 5 minutes. The
dish is cooked once all the cockles have opened,
and it is then served as one dish.
Recipe
2
Mango Soup - This meat and vegetable 'chunky soup'
is simple to make, and delicious.
Ingredients:
1 teaspoon
of cooking oil.
1 inch of
finely diced fresh wet ginger root.
1
Chinese garlic.
1/2 lb meat.
1 Mango cut into chunks.
2 large potatoes, or the same
quantity as the Mango - peeled and chopped into
chunks.
1 handful of soya beans, bought
prepared for cooking.
1 teaspoon ground black pepper.
1 teaspoon of chicken bouillon
1 quart of water.
1 teaspoon salt, added last of
all! |
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Into the wok with a smidgeon of oil,
throw in the sliced ginger and toss for 30 seconds.
Throw in the crushed Chinese garlic, and continue to
toss for a further minute. To your stock above add the
meat and stir fry to seal in the juices = 1-minute.
Add the dry chicken bouillon granules, and keep tossing.
Add a little water and mix thoroughly for 10 seconds.
You now have the basic meat and stock.
This dish is now best made in a Chinese Soup Pot (See
Utensils for information)
or large saucepan. You can continue to use the same
wok and it will turn out fine.
Chinese use pork neck and vertebra for this dish, and
you should include some as well (Washed and as-is) for
taste. Westerner's prefer their meat off the bone, so
interpolate with any local meat that takes your fancy
- large pork sirloin chunks works very well.
We have now transferred everything from the wok to a
Chinese Soup Pot, or have everything together on low
simmer in a saucepan or wok. Let's continue...
We would usually start by adding a pound of prepared
Mango's and Potatoes. Now add the Soya beans (Prepared)
and black pepper. Bring to a simmer and once settled
and stirred, cover and turn down to a low simmer.
To this chunky vegetable and meat hot pot you can add
whatever you like:
Other Common Ingredients:
1 large or 2 small Carrots, chopped
into chunks.
2 sticks of Celery, chopped into 1-inch
high arcs.
2 handfuls of 'petit pois' or small,
whole miniature peapod's.
1 handful of 'Longgnun'.
In Cantonese cookery, this dish aims to be naturally
slightly-sweet, with just a hint of something unknown.
Therefore we are not going to add: Chilli, capsicums,
onions; or anything with a predominant taste. The whole
emphasis centres upon the subtle blend of similarly
sweet tastes. Small clumps of 'snow-puff' mushrooms
also work with this soup, otherwise forget fungi as
all are too strong tasting.
Bring to the boil and reduce to a simmer, then check
the taste. Alter at will and over cooking time - but
once it is correct simply add a pinch of salt (what
you can hold between thumb and forefinger) to fix the
taste, and leave to simmer for another hour, checking
and stirring occasionally. Add extra water as required.
Serve to table in a Chinese soup pot.
Mok Gwa Tong-Gai has now been explained to you - enjoy! |
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