Mystery ingredient / Silk squash

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 20/06/2009 (6170 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

What is it?

A long, cylindrical squash with sharp ridges that is native to Asia and grown to be harvested before maturity. It is also known as Chinese okra (it bears some similarity to okra in texture and taste), dishcloth gourd, and angled luffa. The latter name is most accurate because silk squash, known botanically as Luffa acutangula, is related to the tropical climbing plant that yields the loofah sponge used as a bath scrubber.

Looks like:

A slender, tapered zucchini with pale to dark-green skin that is generally harvested when it is between 30 and 60 centimetres in length, but can grow up to three metres long. The edible skin covers a watery, fibrous flesh with lots of seeds, somewhat similar to a cucumber. The vertical ridges make for attractive, star-shaped slices.

Tastes like:

Bland, but vaguely sweet. Smaller squash (15 to 20 cm) are sweeter, more tender and less seedy than larger ones, which tend to be bitter. Some describe the flavour as a cross between cucumber and zucchini.

Used in:

Like zucchini, silk squash absorbs the flavours of foods it is cooked with. If quickly stir-fried, it retains its crisp texture, while longer, slower cooking will cause it to live up to its "silky" name. A popular ingredient in Chinese cuisine, where it’s typically used in stir-fries and deep-fried dishes, it can also be braised and sautéed or stuffed with pork and steamed. Thin, raw slices are a refreshing addition to salads.

In China, dried angled luffa scrubbers are used in the kitchen, in much the same way we used steel wool.

Found at:

Van Loi Trading, 417 McPhillips St.