Winter melon and chrysanthemum

1

Wash and peel the wax gourd, remove the flesh, cut it into four squares five centimeters square, change it into a cross knife on one side,(as thick as a matchstick), then soak in salt water for two minutes, and use a clean towel to dry the water for later use. Add cornflour and cheese flour, and pat it evenly on the winter melon, making sure each winter melon strip is wrapped.

2

Then heat the wok, add cooking oil, heat to 60% oil temperature, add wax gourd,(add wax gourd strips downward into the pan), fry until golden yellow (shaped like chrysanthemums), take out of the pan, and place into a plate. Raise another wok, add a little water to boil, add white sugar, orange juice, and white vinegar, boil again, add water starch, and add clear oil. Drizzle on the wax gourd and serve.

Note: Winter melon is sweet and bland in flavor and cool in nature; it enters the Lung, Large Intestine, Small Intestine, and Bladder meridians. It possesses the effects of moistening the lungs and generating fluids, resolving phlegm and quenching thirst, promoting urination and reducing swelling, clearing heat and dispelling summer heat, and detoxifying to drain pus. It can be used for thirst caused by summer heat, coughing and panting due to phlegm-heat, edema, beriberi, abdominal fullness, wasting-thirst syndrome, acne, facial spots, and hemorrhoids, and can also neutralize the toxins of fish and alcohol. Winter melon peel excels at promoting urination; winter melon seeds excel at strengthening the spleen, nourishing the complexion, relieving coughs, and resolving phlegm.