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Fruit, Vegetables and Gourds
Mok Gwa or common Mango
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!
Image: Mok Gwa or Common Mango - Click to Enlarge

Image: Mok Gwa or Common Mango - Click to Enlarge

Image: Fa Hin or Chinese Cockles - Click to Enlarge

Image: Mango Soup - Click to Enlarge
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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