Loving this 5-ingredient Asian-inspired Chinese squash side dish that screams “look at me” when served at the dinner table. Roll them up with sesame infused spinach and sprinkle some furikake for the perfect umami finish.
Peel the Chinese squash. Then using a wide peeler, make long wide ribbons all around the melon, avoiding the seeds. Try to get them as wide as possible. But if you can’t, you can always use 2 thin strips side by side to make a wider strip.Steam Chinese squash strips for 2 minutes, place in cold water to stop the cooking process and set aside to dry on paper towels. It is very important that they are completely dry before using.
Bring a medium-sized saucepan of water to the boil.
Cut the stem off the spinach and wash thoroughly. Blanch the spinach in the boiling water until cooked. Drain, and place in cold water to stop the cooking process. Pick up spinach in small handfuls, and between the palm of your hands, squeeze them tightly to remove as much water as possible.
In a small mixing bowl, add the spinach, sesame oil and salt and mix until well combined.
Lay the strip of Chinese squash flat. Place a small amount of spinach on one end of the strip and roll it to the top. Then place it standing on your platter. Continue until you have finished the vegetables.
Drizzle some sesame oil around the platter.
Sprinkle on top with furikake.
Serve.
Notes
If you can’t find Chinese squash, there are quite a few different substitutes. The best replacement would be the winter melon. You can use the leftovers to make soup. Otherwise, you can just use zucchini or cucumber. Up to you if you wish to steam the zucchini to take the raw edge off but the cucumber certainly doesn’t need to be steamed.
You can use baby spinach leaves if you don’t wish to fuss with the cleaning of the spinach. You’ll need to get 4 times the amount as they will wilt to a quarter of the quantity after it’s been cooked.
Any furikake will work for this recipe so just select your favourite one. If you have never had furikake before, read the ingredients to see which combination you think you may like best. You can find furikake in the Asian section of your supermarket, and it either comes in a jar like a spice or in small packets.