After cooking or stewing, loofah has a sweet, tender texture, making it a popular home-cooked dish for all ages. However, if you frequently cook with loofah, have you noticed that this vibrant green dish easily turns black after cooking? Why is this? And how can you prevent it from turning black?

Prepare the loofah before cooking to reduce oxidation.

Many people prepare their ingredients by washing, peeling, and dicing them before cooking them separately. However, because loofah is susceptible to oxidation, if you’re including it in a meal, remember not to prepare it too soon. Cutting it right before cooking will help ensure freshness.

You only need to peel the outer, rough skin of loofah; the rest is edible. Some people wash the loofah after peeling it, but the minerals in raw water can accelerate its darkening. If you insist on washing it, use filtered, boiled water.

Tips for preparing loofah:

After peeling and dicing, soak the loofah in filtered ice water or salt water (prepared with filtered water) to preserve its lightly cut texture.

It’s recommended to cut the loofah into 1 cm pieces for a richer texture.

Cover and simmer to shorten the cooking time.

Looofah should not be cooked for long periods of time, as it will turn black if cooked for too long. It’s recommended to quickly stir-fry the loofah slices in a little hot oil, then add a little hot water, cover the pot, reduce heat, and simmer for about 2-3 minutes. This will soften the loofah to a pleasant texture while preserving its emerald green color.

To confirm cooked through, lightly poke with a chopstick. If the chopsticks pierce through, remove from the heat.

When cooking loofah, always season it last.

As mentioned earlier, loofah oxidizes easily, so seasonings containing minerals, such as salt, can accelerate its darkening.

Therefore, when cooking loofah, salt should be added last. For dishes like loofah vermicelli, loofah clams, or seafood that we usually cook, you can try not adding extra salt and rely on the original flavor of the ingredients to make them very delicious.