Crispy Pumpkin Fritters in Salted Egg Sauce
This Pumpkin with Salted Egg Sauce recipe features crispy pumpkin fritters coated with a rich and creamy salted egg yolk sauce. It is a fun appetizer or mid-day snack when winter squash is in season.
I came across the idea for this dish in a Vietnamese online article. My attempt to make it using the method in my crispy tofu with salted egg sauce recipe and shrimp in salted egg sauce yields a great result. The Vietnamese name of the dish is “bí đỏ sốt trứng muối“.
The pumpkin fritters are soft and sweet on the inside and crispy on the outside. Its sweetness is complemented well by the rich and savory salted egg sauce.
Just a side note here that despite being satisfying to eat, this dish is not the healthiest since it involves deep-frying. It is also a bit messy to cook, so I recommend making it on the weekend, during the holiday, or whenever you and your family have a lot of free time. If you need a quick pumpkin/winter squash recipe, try this Vietnamese pumpkin soup with pork or this roasted butternut squash sandwich.
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Ingredients
- Pumpkin: you can try using any cooking pumpkin or winter squash (such as butternut squash, kabocha squash) that is sweet once cooked. Each type of squash may have a slight difference in texture.
- Flour mixture: I use all-purpose flour combined with either potato starch or cornstarch to coat the pumpkin pieces before frying.
- Salted duck eggs: these can be found at Asian grocery stores.
- Other ingredients: you will also need some butter, garlic, salt, and pepper to make the salted egg yolk sauce.
Cooking Notes
You will find the detailed instructions in the recipe card at the end of the post. Here I just want to point out the main steps and my preferred cooking order for this pumpkin fritters in salted egg sauce recipe.
1️⃣ Prepare the salted duck eggs
The preparation step is exactly the same as in my salted egg fried rice recipe. Boil the salted duck eggs. This may take around 10 minutes so during that time, you can chop the pumpkin into 1/2 inch sticks. Then, discard the egg whites and use a fork to mash the yolks finely, or use a spoon and press them against a sieve (mesh strainer).
2️⃣ Fry the pumpkin fritters
Coat the pumpkin with the wet batter and then dredge with the dry flour mixture. Deep fry the pumpkin until light golden. Let it cool slightly and then fry again until golden and crispy.
We did some experiments and preferred this order of coating the pumpkin: wet batter first, followed by dry flour. It created a rough exterior which was crispy and allowed the egg yolk sauce to cling well.
Note: I like to fry the pumpkin twice so that the exterior crisps up nicely and it will not turn soggy quickly when coated with the sauce later.
3️⃣ Make the salted egg sauce
Sauté the mashed salted yolk with minced garlic in oil. Stir and let it absorb the oil. Add butter and stir to melt the butter and form a creamy sauce. Finally, add the pumpkin fritters and toss quickly to coat with the sauce.
If you like to garnish the dish before serving, an easy option is to sprinkle it with some chopped green herbs such as scallion or cilantro.
⭐️ I’d love to hear what you think about the dish, so please feel free to leave a comment and a rating if you have tried it. New recipes are added every week so let’s connect on Facebook, Youtube, Pinterest and Instagram for the latest updates. You can find my collection of Vietnamese recipes here.
Pumpkin Fritters in Salted Egg Sauce
Ingredients
- 4 salted duck eggs
- 10.5 oz peeled and seeded pumpkin
- 3.5 oz all purpose flour
- 3 oz potato starch or cornstarch
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 plus 1/8 teaspoon salt, divided
- 1/2 cup iced cold water, less 1-2 teaspoons
- cooking oil
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons butter
Instructions
- Place the salted duck eggs in a small pot and cover with water. Bring it to a boil and then slightly reduce the heat and boil for another 10 minutes. Total time starting from cold water may be up to 20 minutes.
- While cooking the eggs, chop pumpkin into 1/2 inch thick sticks.
- Once boiling time is over, rinse the eggs under cold water, then peel and discard the whites. Use a fork to mash the salted egg yolks finely, or use a spoon and press them against a sieve (mesh strainer).
- In a shallow plate, mix together potato starch, all purpose flour, baking powder and ⅛ teaspoon of salt. Divide the flour mixture into 2 equal parts. Place one half in a mixing bowl.
- Heat a generous amount of oil to 350-375ºF (180-190ºC) in a deep fryer or medium saucepan. While heating up the oil, mix one half of the flour mixture with ½ cup less 1-2 teaspoons of the cold water to form a batter. Do not overmix and it is okay have some lumps in the batter.
- Dip the pumpkin sticks into the batter and then dredge with the dry flour mixture. Deep-fry the pumpkin until light golden, about 3-3½ minutes. Transfer the fritters to a plate lined with paper towel or a wired rack to cool down slightly.
- Strain the oil and heat it back to 350-375ºF (180-190ºC). Deep-fry the pumpkin fritters the second time. This time, fry for about 1-1½ minutes until the fritters are golden and crispy. Transfer them to a plate lined with paper towel or a wired rack.
- Place a pan over medium and add oil to coat the bottom, about 1 tablespoon. Add minced garlic and sauté until fragrant.
- Add the mashed salted egg yolk and the remaining salt and pepper. Stir and break up the egg yolk pieces and let it absorb the oil. Then lower the heat slightly and add the butter. Stir to melt the butter and form a creamy sauce.
- Immediately add the pumpkin fritters to the pan and shake the pan or use a wooden spoon to move the pumpkin around and coat them with the sauce. Transfer to a serving plate and serve right away.
