I miss winters. I’ve lived through a few in the UK during my studies there, and braved a blizzard in New York. But what I miss most about winter is the feeling of having a hot, steamy meal watching the cold and snow outside. I did that in Cambridge, cooking up a stew as I gazed out the kitchen windows, watching the snow fall on the spires of my castle-like college. I did that in the blizzard in Brooklyn too, a hot burrito in hand as I ran through the knee-high snow shivering in glee.

I miss winters. But now that I’m in Malaysia, where it’s hellishly hot and humid all year round, my nostalgic longing for winter is no longer about the hot and steamy meals in the cold. Oh no. My winter longing is now to feel the icy cold. Instead of eating a dish to warm me up and whisk me away from the cold, I want a dish to bring me back to the cold, a reminder of the beauty and serenity of winter.

So, I took a winter melon, cooked it till mushy, scooped the flesh out and popped it in the freezer just long enough so ice crystals form around the pieces, but not long enough to freeze it through completely. I spooned them into my mouth and suckled at the ice-cold pieces. While they were cold, they didn’t taste of much. So I mixed in some yuzu syrup, gave it the scent of oranges, and placed it in a cute little bowl like a mound of snow.

While it might not be winter outside, at least I can make it feel like winter in my stomach.

About the Dish

This is just a simple dish of winter melon, steamed till soft, then scooped out of its shell like the curds of a crème brulee. It’s then chilled in the refrigerator until completely cold, folded through with some yuzu syrup, and topped with some microplaned shavings of orange zest. It looks a little like the shaved ice desserts of Asia—like Korean bingsu but less fine, or Japanese kakigori but less powdery.

It’s a straightforward, 3-ingredient dish, with the biggest challenge probably being the cooking of the winter melon itself. But before that deters you from making it, below are some times for your sure success!

Cooking Tips

To really feel the icy comfort in these, here are a few tips for snowy success:

Make sure your winter melon is completely cooked and softened. It’s better to have it overcooked than undercooked.
I like steaming it, but you could also bake it off in an oven, though it’ll end up dryer and slightly caramelised!
You can store the extra winter melon by scooping out the flesh and keeping it in a container in the refrigerator. You probably won’t be able to finish the whole winter melon in one sitting, but you can use the leftovers in a multitude of ways—add pieces of it into double-boiled chicken or pork soups, dice it up and fold it into a salad dressing, or spoon it onto light desserts or drinks.
Feel free to substitute the yuzu in this with orange or lemon syrup. I used a ready-made yuzu syrup, but you can make any citrus syrup by boiling equal parts of yuzu/orange/lemon/citrus juice with sugar.

Winter Melon, Yuzu, Orange

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 winter melon (you’ll end up with plenty of excess), or 200g winter melon flesh
50g (1/4 cup) caster/granulated sugar
50ml (3 tablespoons) yuzu syrup (I used a ready-made one, but you could make it by simmering equal parts of yuzu juice and sugar)
1 orange, for zest

Directions

Prep the winter melon: Cut the winter melon horizontally in half, and scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Then, sprinkle the sugar onto the flesh of the winter melon.
Steam the winter melon: Set up a steamer (I used a tray, placed on top of a raised wire rack set inside a wok/pan of boiling water), and place the two halves of your winter melon into the steamer to cook on medium heat for 75-90 minutes, or until soft and almost mushy. (It’s important to have the winter melon on a tray instead of directly on the wire rack, as it’ll turn soft and will leak its juices.) Also, do check the water level of your steamer every 30 minutes or so, and replenish it when necessary.
Scoop out the winter melon flesh: When the winter melon is cooked through, take it out of the steamer and let it rest for 15-30 minutes in the tray. Then, when it’s cool enough to handle, scoop out the flesh with a spoon, then place the flesh in a container to chill in the refrigerator. Then, an hour before you plan to eat it, transfer it to the freezer to half-freeze and develop this icy texture on the sides.
Serving: Take about 250g (1 cup) of ice-cold winter melon flesh, and pour the yuzu syrup over it and give it a gently mix. Portion your winter melon into four separate bowls, and grate some orange zest on top. Eat!