Patola

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March 18, 2011

Divine Enya Mesina tells us about sponge gourd and then some.

By: Divine Enya Mesina

Divine Enya Mesina tells us about sponge gourd and then some.


               Patola is often cooked with miswa to make a soup with tiny dried shrimps (hibi)
                                      like this hearty Miswa Soup with Patola and Other Toppings.

1.	There are two kinds of patola (also known in English as sponge gourd, Chinese okra, ridged or angled luffa, silk gourd, or towel gourd): one has smooth skin, the other one has ridges.
2.	It tastes like upo (bottle gourd), but is silkier and softer—as opposed to upo which retains a little crunch even when cooked. For those who are not familiar with it, the taste of patola can be compared to zucchini’s. Before cooking this vegetable, its skin must be peeled off first as it can taste a little bitter. And compared to upo and zucchini, patola can get a little slimy when cooked for more than a few minutes.
3.	Patola grows in vines and must be supported by a trellis when planted. It is grown for culinary purposes and ideally must be harvested while it is young and tender.
4.	But there are also plantations where this vegetable is allowed to mature well beyond its prime, until it becomes tough and fibrous. The patola is then peeled, left to dry, seeded, and sold in beauty stores as loofah—a bathing sponge used to scrub off dead skin cells.
5.	Patola is often cooked with miswa (very thin rice noodles) to make a soup and flavored with tiny dried shrimps (hibi), like Miswa Soup with Patola and Other Toppings. Some people simply sauté patola in garlic and onions and mix it with ground pork. These dishes are often paired with fried fish during meals.