Smelly wax gourd

Smelly wax gourd
臭冬瓜

Although described as "stinky", smelly wax gourds have refreshing and crisp flavors that leave a lingering fragrance on the taste buds. They are a fixture on the dining tables of the Ningbo people in East China’s Zhejiang province.

However, this signature Ningbo dish was invented by chance. In times gone by, fishermen needed to prepare sufficient vegetables for long voyages. Wax gourds, easy to store and sold at low prices, used to be their first choice. After a while they inevitably began to smell, but the frugal fishermen couldn’t bear to discard them - instead they ate them with salt, ground garlic and sesame oil. Surprisingly, they tasted really good. Thereafter the dish made its name through generations of improvements.

The key to making smelly wax gourds is a special sauce that is made of soused fermentative vegetables such as amaranths, lettuces and winter bamboo shoots.

There are two basic methods used to pickle this dish. The first one requires great patience; you need to put the chopped wax gourds into a jar with the sauce and salt then seal it. After six months to a year, that you can open the jar to check your efforts.

The second way makes for a quicker process. You should boil the chopped wax gourds for a short time and then cool them with water. After 24 hours, you can put them in a jar with salt then seal it. The sauce should be added between one and two months later. When the gourds turn soft, then it is time to take them out and taste them!

The pickled wax gourds are even more delicious after being steamed and combined with minced garlic, onion and sesame oil!