Thai Stuffed Courgettes

May 11, 2012 | In Health, News, Recipe

Courgettes are part of the summer squash family and are relatives of both cucumbers and melons. This versatile vegetable is very low in calories, due to its high water content but also offers a number of important nutrients to the diet. Summer squash is an excellent source of manganese and vitamin C. It is also a very good source of heart-healthy magnesium, dietary fibre, potassium, zinc, folate; bone-supportive copper and energy-producing phosphorus among others.

However most research on courgettes focuses on their antioxidant content. As an important source of manganese, vitamin C, beta-carotene, and a good source of zinc, summer squash provides us with a great combination of conventional antioxidant nutrients. But it also contains an unusual amount of other antioxidant nutrients, including the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin. These antioxidants are especially helpful in antioxidant protection of the eye, including protection against age-related macular degeneration and cataracts.

If properly handled and prepared, courgettes also provide us with special antioxidant advantages in terms of its antioxidant stability. Recent research has confirmed strong retention of antioxidant activity in summer squash after steaming. Research has also confirmed excellent retention of antioxidant activity in courgette after freezing. These findings mean that the antioxidant benefits of summer squash are available to us under a wide variety of circumstances.

To obtain full antioxidant benefits from courgette, we need to eat not only the flesh, but also the skin as many valuable antioxidant nutrients are found in this portion of the food.

Other specific health benefits related to the humble courgette include helping us regulate blood sugar balance, helping keep inflammation in check, supporting the immune system (the seeds contain natural antimicrobials) and possible cancer protective properties. So get stuck into the recipe below which is not only delicious but also fantastic for health. There will be more courgette recipes to follow. We like courgettes!

Thai Stuffed Courgettes

Makes about 20

4 large courgettes

125g minced pork

50g peeled raw prawns, very finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 tbsp fresh coriander, finely chopped

½ tsp sugar

2 kaffir lime leaves, finely chopped, or 1 tsp grated lime zest

2 French shallots, finely chopped

3 tbsp coconut cream

2 tsp Thai fish sauce

1 tbsp raw peanuts or raw cashew nuts, finely chopped (optional)

Cut the courgettes into 4cm thick slices.

Using a melon baller, scoop out the centre, leaving about 5mm of flesh on the inside of the skin and bottom of each slice.

In a bowl, mix the pork, prawn meat, garlic, coriander, sugar, lime leaves / zest, shallots, 2 tbsp of the coconut cream and fish sauce.

Spoon the filling into the courgette shells, cover and refrigerate until ready to cook.

Place the stuffed courgettes into a steamer, cover and steam for 10 minutes or until the filling is just tender. Serve dotted with the remaining coconut cream if you want along with the finely chopped peanuts or cashew nuts.





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