Bitter melon = balsam pear = bitter cucumber = bitter gourd = ampalaya = Chinese bitter melon = karela  = Kugua (Mandarin) = Foo Gwa (Cantonese)

This warty-skinned vegetables originated in Southeast Asia, and is popular in Indonesia, Philippines and Thailand, where it is used as the basic for a delicious curry. The plant resembles a wild grape vine, and is grown in the west mainly as an ornament, for its attractive foliage and strange-looking fruit.

As the name implies, the flesh of this vegetable tastes quite bitter, especially when it is green and immature, but it has a rather sweet and fragrant smell. The flavor mellows somewhat as the vegetable ripens and turns first pale green and than yellow-orange (when it is past its prime).

Bitterness may be an acquired taste, but it is believed to have medicinal properties as a cooling effect in hot climate, and is widely used throughout Asia. The flesh readily absorbs other flavors and its bitter tang can provide a wonderful accent in a dish (Blanch it in lightly salted boiling water for about 2 minutes to remove excess bitterness).

Chinese okra = silk squash = silk melon = silk gourd = Taiwanese okra 

There can either have a smooth surface or one with deep ridges.  The ridged version is sometimes called angled luffa = angled loofa = angled loofah = Sigua (Mandarin) = Sze Gwa (Cantonese). This vegetable looks like a long, skinny courgette or a very large okra pod. The most common variety is ridged down its length and is dark in color. Although not so common, smooth luffa is larger and the shape is more cylindrical, with a slightly thicker base. It is much heavier than ridged luffa, and is lighter in color.

Luffa has a mild, delicate taste, very similar to that of cucumber and the two are interchangeable in most cooked dishes.

Used mostly in stir-fries and soups, luffa goes well with foods that will not overwhelm its delicate flavor, such as chicken breast, fish and seafood. It is also a popular ingredient in all kinds of vegetable dishes.

Indian bitter melon

Opo squash

Winter melon = ash pumpkin = winter gourd = Chinese winter melon = wax gourd = Dong Gua (Chinese)

This is one of the largest vegetables grown in Asia, or anywhere else. They can grow to 25 cm/10 in in diameter, and weight more than 25 kg/55 lb. Thankfully for the cook, there are small ones, and the larger melons are normally sliced and sold in sections.

Winter melon has a subtle, delicate smell, It taste rather like courgette. It taste good in stir-fry and soups. Winter melon readily absorbs other flavors, and is often cooked with strongly-flavored ingredients such as dried shrimps, ham and dried mushrooms.

Despite its name, winter melon is really a warm season vegetable, and since more than 90 per cent of it is water, it is popular in hot weather as it is juicy yet not too filling. It is always cooked before being eaten.

Chayote = shu-shu = chinchayote = christophine = chuchu = mango squash = mirliton (in the South) = pear squash = vegetable pear = sousous = choko = custard marrow = pepinella = xuxu = Fat Sau Gwa (Cantonese)

There are several names for this pear-shaped marrow. The Chinese call it "Buddha's fist", because it resembles hands clasped in prayer, with the fingers folded inside.

Chayote has a smooth, pale green skin with a subtle aroma. The taste is delicate, and the texture is fairly firm, not unlike that of courgette.

Because of the religious connotations of its shape, chayote is often used as an offering during Buddhist festivals. It can be eaten raw or cooked, and in Asia is usually stir-fried or simmered in soups. You should peel a chayote before cooking it, but don't take the seed out--it's edible and tasty.  Cooked chayote make good low-fat substitutes for avocados.  

Acorn squash

These are popular because of their small size, one squash can be cut in half and baked to make two generous servings.  The biggest drawback to this variety is that the rind is quite hard, and therefore difficult to cut.  Select acorn squash with as much green on the rind as possible. 
 

Golden nugget squash = Oriental pumpkin = gold nugget squash 

This has a pleasant flavor, but it doesn't have as much flesh as other squashes and the heavy rind makes it hard to cut before cooking.   Select specimens that are heavy for their size, and that have a dull finish. Those with shiny rinds were probably picked too young, and won't be as sweet. They're usually baked or steamed, and sometime pureed.

Kabocha squash = Japanese squash = Japanese pumpkin = nam gwa = sweet mama = kabachi  

This orange-fleshed winter squash has a striated green rind. It's sweeter, drier, and less fibrous than other winter squash, and it tastes a bit like sweet potatoes.