Above: The seeds and spongy pith of these Chinese bitter melons are ... and easy way to preserve fruits and vegetables, and ...

In Chinese cuisine, "gwa" - usually translated as squash or melon - covers a wide variety of vegetables and fruits such as watermelon, fuzzy melon, winter melon, Chinese okra and bitter squash.

Stuffed vegetables were a speciality of my grandmother, who made them often for her delicious family meals. This basic pork stuffing works well with dried mush­rooms, as well as bitter melon ...