If you still recall, I have a thing for mini foods–vegetable, tartlets, or anything small and cutesy.
When I was home last month, I stumbled upon this curvy mini gourd in the market. Called Hu Lu, or 葫芦 in Mandarin, this fruit usually shows up in the market during Chinese New Year. As one of the essential items during the festive season, Hu Lu is usually wrapped around in a red-color paper ribbon that signifies luck and prosperity. Hu Lu is mostly used as a ceremonial offering to the god.
I sliced it up but did not eat it. In fact, I am not even sure if it’s for consumption.
Have you tried it before? Is it edible?
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{ 17 comments… read them below or add one }
RM, the same question i asked when i saw it the first time a few years back! hehe. my mum insisted that it’s not edible and none of us dared to try anyways :P
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Hello, what a cool vegetable or fruit…never seen that ;-) But you could make some music instrument with this guy ;-) the woody like structure in the back is beautiful !!! Nice pictures
Cheers
Claude
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Seems like after removing the seed and the white loofah thingy, nothing left except the skin. Maybe can be used as a bowl to serve a dish??
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So far have only seen those big as well as mini ones used as decor or offerings in Chinese prayers. Not met nor heard of eating it yet. I am curious too.
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I have never seen 葫芦 on the menu but from 武俠小說, 葫芦 is dried up and used as wine bottle,the bomoh would capture the evil spirit “葫芦收妖”. Also, it’s halfed and used as a ladle.
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Not sure if one can eat it, but it sure looks lovely! Nature’s design: you can’t beat that! ;)
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what a pretty fruit. beautiful picture with the green against the background!
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My parents sell vegetables back in Singapore. Once my mom brought this hu-lu gourd back home, it is definitely edible although I can’t recall how my mom cooked it. If it isn’t edible, I figured my parents wouldn’t be selling those in the market :)
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It looks like maracas — the musical instrument. Sorry. I have nothing to add, but I am also curious on what this is.
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All along I thought it’s edible. In 武侠片, they are used to contain wine right? Anyway, looks too cute to eat. Can use as serving bowl for some soup or stir-frys. Also can use as part of table settings…put some flowers/leaves for table centerpiece…hee hee!
(Finally, uploaded the assam dish today!)
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Can tie 2 wires and make an er-hu (二胡)! “If music be the food of love; play on.” – Shakespeare
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SC – The thing is nothing seem edible inside the hulu…LOL.
Claude – yes, it should make a good instrument…I believe I have seen it made into a music instrument…from Borneo if I am not mistaken!
Precious Pea – actually, a nice serving bowl, probably for my Or Nee. Muahahaha.
Tummythoz – correct…I am sure it’s not edible because my aunt or mother never cooked them…LOL. If it’s edible, I am sure I have had it…even the cempedak seeds also I hentam. :P
Cooknengr – LOL. 葫芦收妖, that’s toooooo funny. Now I have to read the books you read. ;P
Kenny Mah – exactly, nature’s design…so curvy…LOL.
Aria – yes, it’s indeed a beautiful. It was small in real size so it was very very cute! :)
Lin – please ask your parents how they cook it…I think the only possibility is making soup…hehe. :)
Elmo – Maracas that is…I just need two so I can play samba. LOL. Too funny.
Tiga – I think you are right, probably it’s used by beggars in the Wu Xia books…hahahahahaha.
Simcooks – too creative…Er Hoo, you are correct. :)
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Yaya, that is vine container leh. Not edible, at least i don’t dare to taste it.
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I planted it in my front yard last year. Man the plant was huge, crawled over everything. And at the end, only 1 “hulu” became fruit :) It looks lovely hanging there, but pretty much useless. Eventually cut it up and tried to eat it raw, but it was tasteless.
…
aliko
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Got here from Unkaleong’s blog… I planted this gourd last year and managed to harvest four of them… not very productive… the Japanese call them ‘omocha hyoutan’ or ‘toy gourd’… didn’t eat them… I had them all dried up, and will later put them up as decor…
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must be the week coz i burnt my finger while frying kuih keria.
i love baked scallops. urs look so yummy.
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I found this entry while researching Roman cooking. See, I have this cookbook of Apicius that has a whole section on a vegetable that in Latin is called cucurbitas. That’s the genus name for squash, but squash wouldn’t have been in Italy at the time. So another site claimed that this gourd was what was being called for. Now that I have seen your pictures of it cut open, I am dubious about the substitution of zucchini for the gourd in the recipes.
So – you were asking how to cook it. These recipes primarily call for boiling it (whole?) and then straining it (scooping it out and then separating the pulp from the seeds). And then he’d mix it with a sauce and sometimes add cornstarch to thicken.
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