ANGLED LOOFAH

My husband is the vegetable gardening enthusiast.  I am more for the flowers and decorative plants.  One of the vegetables he is growing at the moment is the angled loofah (also known as Luffa acutangula, Angled Luffa, Ridged Luffa, Vegetable Gourd).  

This is quite an easy vegetable to cultivate.  It grows fast and bears fruit within 3 weeks of having climbed up the trellis.  It develops many branches in the course of its life, so that means lots of fruuit!

From Dr Ong Hean Chooi's book on Vegetables (Utusan Pubications,2003), it is said to contain iron, phosporus, calcium, vitamin A,B, niacin and vitamin C.

The young leaves, flowers and shoots can be eaten - fried, curried or as part of soup.  The loofah has to be eaten while still young as the older it gets, the more bitter it becomes, as well as causing diarrhoe.  

For herbal uses:

The seeds are used to induce vomitting, and the leaves can be used eleviate skin problems.


HOW TO COOK ANGLED LOOFAH IN 5 MINUTES

This is our home-grown angled loofah.

The skinned loofah

Cut it any which way you like. This vegetable is so versatile that you can add whatever you feel like  adding - it's that friendly.  Cook it with chicken meat, beef, prawns (fresh or dried) or tofu.  It actually changes taste with each different accompaniment.I'm cooking mine with an egg plus onions, garlic and red chillies. So simple, so fast and yet so tasty!

Ready to stir fry.

Spices and eggs done

Loofah joins the party!

... and we're done in 5!  Ready for a yummy meal!