Fuzzy melon rings stuffed with dace and aged tangerine peel
Thick rings of fuzzy melon filled with dace paste flecked with tangerine peel, steamed and glazed with a light sauce — sweet, delicate and damp-clearing without any grease.
- 40 min
- Serves 2
- Steam
- Medium
Why it suits you: Phlegm-damp types feel heavy, puff up easily and have a thick, greasy tongue coating, and Chushu's humid heat easily bogs down the spleen. Fuzzy melon is in season, clearing heat, draining damp and strengthening the spleen; dace boosts qi and drains water, and tangerine peel dries damp and resolves phlegm. Steamed with little oil, it's sweet and light.
Method
Prep 25 min · Cook 15 min- 1Soak the tangerine peel until soft, scrape off the pith and chop finely with the spring onion. Mix into the fish paste with a pinch of salt and pepper, stirring in one direction until sticky.
- 2Scrape the fuzzy melons, cut into 2 cm rings and scoop out the seedy centres with a spoon. Dust the insides lightly with cornflour.
- 3Pack the fish paste into the rings and smooth the tops. Arrange on a plate and steam over boiling water on a high heat for 12 minutes until the fish is cooked and the melon tender.
- 4Pour the steaming juices into a pan with the water, soy sauce and ginger and bring to the boil. Remove the ginger, thicken with a little cornflour mixed with water and pour over the melon.
Cautions
- Shop-bought dace paste is minced with its bones and can still hide tiny ones, so take care when feeding children and older people; avoid this if fish disagrees with you.
Chef's tips
- A dusting of cornflour inside the rings helps the paste cling so it doesn't pop out after steaming; stir the paste until sticky for a springy bite.
The TCM view
Fuzzy melon is sweet, neutral and slightly cold, clearing heat, generating fluids, draining damp, reducing swelling and strengthening the spleen. Dace is sweet and neutral, entering the liver, spleen and kidneys, strengthening the spleen, boosting qi and promoting urination; tangerine peel regulates qi, dries damp and resolves phlegm; ginger settles the stomach and transforms fluids.
