Stir-fried Luffa with Garlic (清炒絲瓜)

Most people associate luffa with that rough, fibrous thing you use to scrub down dead skin.  Yes, it is great for that, once it has aged to the stage where the center of the vegetable is hardened and hallow.  But before it gets there, luffa is a great seasonal vegetable that has a sweet taste that is great when stir-fried with some garlic. 

The most annoying part of prepping this dish is peeling the luffa.  How annoying?  Its irregular skin that almost has a resemblance to a cactus is very challenging even with the best peeler in hand.  And I have fallen victim to it, as illustrated here: 

So to be safe, pay close attention to your fingers while peeling these babies.  To cook them, simply heat up oil in a wok/frying pan and drop in coarsely chopped garlic.  When you smell that good old fried garlic smell, throw in the vegetable.  Stir-fry until the vegetable is soft.  Luffa is packed with water so your dish will have quite a bit of liquid from the vegetable.  Season with salt.  And eat with a bowl of steamed rice.

Luffa

Peeled and sliced