Stuffed Chinese Pumpkin

Vegetables, also Vegetarian Foods

Stuffed Chinese Pumpkin
Ingredients:
1/2 half pound finely minced beef
1/4 pound coarsely hand-chopped pork
1/4 pound shrimp, shell and veins removed, then coarsely chopped
1/4 cup canned water chestnuts, drained and coarsely chopped
1 Tablespoon dark soy sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
2 Tablespoons coarsely chopped scallion, green tops only
2 Tablespoons fresh coriander, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 Chinese pumpkin (about a pound), center part of top cut out and reserved, seeds removed
1 piece fresh coriander or a few cumin seeds, for garnish
Preparation:
1. Gently mix pork, beef, and shrimp.
2. Stir together water chestnuts, soy sauce, sesame oil, salt, pepper, scallion greens, coriander, and cumin seeds. Then stir this into the meat mixture.
3. Stuff into the pumpkin, and set its cover on it. Put this into a bowl and then into a steamer over rapidly boiling water. Steam it for seventy-five minutes.
4. Carefully remove from the steamer and slide pumpkin onto a large flat serving plate, discarding any liquid in the bowl. Discard the pumpkin cover, as well.
5. Cut down every inch or inch and a quarter from top to one inch from the bottom Do not cut though bottom part of the pumpkin. When you do the last cut, the pumpkin will fall out like a flower. Put garnish on top, and serve.

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