Summer Solstice · Dinner · Balanced
Stir-fried silk gourd with prawns and egg
Sweet silk gourd with springy prawns and silky egg, lifted with ginger — ready in ten minutes and perfect with rice.
- 25 min
- Serves 2
- Stir-fry
- Easy
NeutralClears summer heatWarms the stomach
Why it suits you: A balanced constitution simply follows the season. Summer Solstice calls for clearing summer heat while protecting digestion: cooling silk gourd, gently warming prawns and ginger, and neutral egg make a complete plate. Stop at 70% full.
Method
Prep 15 min · Cook 10 min- 1Rub the prawns with ½ tsp salt and 1 tsp cornflour, rinse and pat dry, then marinate with a pinch of salt, the pepper and the rest of the cornflour for 10 minutes.
- 2Peel off the hard ridges of the gourd, leaving some green skin, and roll-cut into chunks. Beat the eggs with a pinch of salt.
- 3Heat 1 tbsp oil in a wok, pour in the eggs and stir until about 70% set and still soft, then lift out.
- 4Add the rest of the oil, fry the ginger and garlic until fragrant, stir-fry the prawns until pink, then add the gourd and cook on high heat for 2–3 minutes until tender and juicy.
- 5Return the egg, toss together, taste and serve straight away with rice.
Cautions
- Allergic to shellfish? Use sliced chicken breast instead of prawns — same method.
Chef's tips
- No need to add water — the gourd releases its own juice. Keep the wok hot so the dish doesn't turn watery.
The TCM view
Silk gourd is sweet and cool; it clears heat and phlegm and cools the blood. Prawns are sweet and warm and build qi; egg is sweet and neutral and nourishes yin and blood; ginger is pungent and warm and protects the stomach. Cool and warm in balance — clearing summer heat without hurting spleen yang.
