Step 1

Fry wintermelon.Using a vegetable peeler, peel the dark green skin off the wintermelon, leaving the slightly harder ‘pith’ part on. Cut the wintermelon into thick slices.Heat up the vegetable oil over high heat in a large pan with a lid. Pat the wintermelon slices very dry, then fry the pith side in the oil, until golden brown. Set aside.

Step 2

Make dongpo sauce.Stir the light soy, water, Shaoxing wine, brown sugar, dark soy sauce and sesame oil together until combined to make the sauce.

Step 3

Make dongpo wintermelon.Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of oil, and saute the ginger, spring onion and star anise until fragrant.Place the wintermelon slices in the pan, on top of the aromatics. Pour in the sauce, and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down to let the sauce simmer gently for 1 hour, turning the wintermelon every 20 minutes to ensure that all sides are cooked in the sauce.When the wintermelon is tender, pick the slices out carefully and lay them in a serving bowl.Taste the sauce and season with salt if necessaryStir the cornstarch-water mixture into the gravy, and boil until thickened. Pour over the wintermelon.