Ingredients:

600 g Winter melon or Water Mellon or Honeydew Mellon

12 Chinese ham slices (thin slices)

2 Young pigeons (approx 500 g-each)

4 Ginger root slices

4 Shallots (white parts)

Cooking Oil

For the Marinade:

½ Cup Light Soy Sauce

1/8 Cup Dark Soy Sauce

Stewing Seasonings:

1 tea spoon Oyster Sauce

1 ½ tea spoon Salt

¼ tea spoon Sugar

4 cups chicken stock

Sauce:

1 cup Chicken Stock

1 ½ table spoon Cornstarch mixed with 2 table spoon water

Optional Garnish:

Parsley

Directions:

Mix marinade and coat pigeon
Let it sit for 2 or 3 minutes
Remove skin from melon and cut into 12 slices (5 cms wide, 3 cms long, 2cms thick).
Make slit on sideways on long side of each piece and insert 1 slice ham inside slice.

To Cook:

Deep-fry pigeons over a medium flame until golden
Heat wok and add 1 table spoon oil
When wok is very hot stir-fry ginger and shallots- 1 minute
Add stewing seasoning ingredients and pigeons
Cover and braise over a slow flame for 20 to 25 minutes.
Remove the pigeons
Keep one cup of pigeon braising stock for sauce later
Double remaining braising stock liquid volume by adding water and immerse melon slices
Cook for 5 minutes then turn off heat.
Cover wok, leave melon slices for 5 more minutes (not for too long so that the melons do not lose their shape through direct cooking)
Mix sauce ingredients with reserved cup of pigeon braising stock and heat
For serving: Cut pigeons into pieces and arrange across serving dish
- Place 6 overlapping melon slices on each side of pigeons
- Pour sauce over and garnish with parsley

Yangjiu.com’s recommendation for pairing:

Food: Perhaps one of the great cognac and food pairings is with Soft Custard. The rich and buttery texture and flavor of this dessert stands as a perfect combination with Cognac.