In my last trip to the Chinese supermarket I got a lot of ingredients I never tried before, like the winter melon. After searching online, I’ve decided to make a Vegan winter melon curry with coconut milk and black beans.

It was a fab idea as both my husband and I enjoyed it so much that we had 2 servings each. The coconut is giving the curry a lovely flavour and the melon and beans go together beautiful. It’s something I considered making again the following day. The black beans modify the colour of the sauce, so keep that in mind and, eventually change it if you want a fully white curry dish.

The winter melon is a really healthy veggie. First of all is low in calories, only 13 for 100g. This means that 1kg of this type of melon has less calories than a small bar of chocolate. It’s low in fat, like most vegetables and very high in fiber. It also has a high amount of vitamin C.
The melon can grow up to 80cm in length. It has a texture similar to the melons we are used to in Europe. As for taste, I would say it resembles cucumber. The mild taste makes this veggie versatile.

Ingredients for 4 servings:
– 1kg winter melon
– 1 can of black beans
– 750ml vegetable stock
– 1 can of coconut milk
– 1 tsp salt
– 1/4 tsp white pepper
– 1/2 tsp chillie oil
– 1-2 tsp of dried curry leaves

Wash, peel and remove the seeds from the winter melon. Cut it in small cubes. Bring the vegetable stock to boil in a pan and put the melon pieces. Leave them to boil gently for 15 minutes. The melon should be soft, but not mushy. Strain the melon. Strain and rinse the black beans.

In another pan, pour the coconut milk and bring to boil. Add the soft melon cubes and the black beans and stir gently. Add the spices and stir. Taste and add more spices if you think it’s necessary. Leave the curry to boil at a medium heat for 5 minutes. Stir from time to time so the curry doesn’t catch the bottom of the pan.
Take off from heat and leave to cool for a few minutes. The dish is ready to be served.

Did you ever tried Winter Melon? Do you like it?