Sharks' Fin Melon

Sharks' Fin Melon sold in Miri Muhibbah Tamu or Market

Just in case - the above sign is new to many people. Often many people do not notice the No Sharks' Fin Soup sign in some places overseas. In a few separate occasions some well suited and obviously rolling with money Asians did not notice the sign and they started to order their "favourite soup" rather loudly...and of course many eye brows were raised and you could literally hear a "spoon" drop on the marble table or glass table or see a jaw (!!!!?) drop..

Sharks' fins melons are sold all over Sarawak and Sabah now and many are actually seizing the opportunity to revert to vegetables and other edibles and giving up meat and especially sharks' fins....Don't be worried if people comment that it is poor man's sharks' fin..in fact nutrition wise it might even been better than the real sharks' fin (which by the way might be made from something else now that manufacturers can create anything in a certain country I won't mention its name.) I would rather eat the sharks' fin melon than some plastic....
Sharks' Fin Melons are really a good replacement for sharks' fin. According to Wikipedia this melon is called by other names like spaghetti squah or noodle squash. In the UK it is called the Spaghetti Marrow.


Sharks' Fin Melon  (鱼翅瓜) is quite popular in Miri . I find it refreshing as a soup.

Portion of the sharks' fin melon soup...the melon looks really like the real sharks' fin.



You can use 1/8th  of the melon for a whole family.

ingredients - for 4 people
1. 2 -3 tablespoons of wolf berries
2. some dried mushrooms
3. 1 egg - beaten
4. 200 gms minced pork/chicken
5. some slivers of old ginger
6. salt to taste
7. a dash or two of white pepper
8. some cooking oil of your choice or sesame oil (which I used)
9. scrape the slice of melon with a spoon and you get nice natural pieces of the melon which look like sharks' fins.
10. 10 bowls of water
11. wine vinegar for extra taste

Method
1. Heat up some oil and saute the ginger. Add the minced pork and cook until well done.
2. Add 10 bowls of water and bring to the boil
3. Add wolf berries and the sliced soaked mushrooms and the melon
4. boil for about half hour or more until all the aroma comes out of the pot.
5. Before serving dribble the beaten egg and cover the pot for a few minutes. Give the soup in the  pot a good stir.
6. Add salt and pepper.
7. Add wine vinegar if desired.

Personally I have cooked this soup in the long house as well as in Miri to great success. the melon by itself is a sweet soup and very little else is needed. Tahai a dried fish from Limbang and Lawas makes a good base for the melon.

Hope you will take a chance an buy half a melon if the vendor allows it and cook your own Sharks' fin melon soup!!

A recent bowl of Sharks' Fin Soup - as I did not find any fin I said to myself..it was really good Mock fin soup but it was not sharks fin melon soup.