After trying crispy pumpkin with salted egg yolk at a Chinese restaurant recently, I knew immediately that I wanted to recreate it at home! If you’re a fan of salted egg yolk flavored anything, you’ll LOVE this recipe! It’s crispy, salty, savory and just lightly sweet from the pumpkin — an addicting snack that’s hard to eat just one of 🙂
I'm using acorn squash, but you can also use kabocha squash or pumpkin (might be harder to find if it's not in season).
Tips for this crispy pumpkin with salted egg yolk recipe:
- if you’re using pumpkin instead of acorn or kabocha, make sure to peel the outer skin because it’s thick and unpleasant to eat!
- for a thicker fried crust, you can add a little less water to the batter. For a thinner crust, add a little more water!
- don’t get the packaged salted egg yolks that come in a pack with the whites already removed — those don’t have as much flavor (and my mom says they might not be real salted egg yolks)
Crispy Pumpkin with Salted Egg Yolk
These crispy pieces of sweet fried pumpkin coated in savory salted egg yolks make a combination that's incredibly addicting!
Ingredients
- 10 oz acorn squash, kabocha, or pumpkin
- ¼ teaspoon salt
batter:
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 5-6 tablespoon water less for thicker fried crust, more for thinner fried crust
- 1 teaspoon neutral oil
salted egg yolk sauce:
- 3 cooked salted egg yolks
- 2-3 cloves of garlic minced
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon sugar
- 1-2 tablespoon water
other ingredients
- neutral oil for frying and cooking
- scallions for garnish
Instructions
Prepare the ingredients
- Wash the acorn squash, carefully slice it in half, and slice off the root ends. If using pumpkin, peel the outer layer as it’s too thick and isn’t pleasant to eat. Use a spoon to scrape out the inner seeds. Slice the squash into ¼ inch thick pieces.10 oz acorn squash, kabocha, or pumpkin
- Put all the slices into a bowl, and add salt. Mix evenly, and let it sit to extract moisture while you prepare the other ingredients.¼ teaspoon salt
- In a large bowl, mix together all the ingredients for the batter until there are no more lumps. Add less water to create a thicker fried crust, and more water for a thinner crust.¼ cup all purpose flour, ¼ cup cornstarch, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon salt, 5-6 tablespoon water, 1 teaspoon neutral oil
- Prepare the cooked salted egg yolks by removing the shell and the whites from the yolks. Mash the yolks to create a paste. You can save the whites for another dish, like congee!3 cooked salted egg yolks
- Mince the garlic and set aside.2-3 cloves of garlic
- Using a clean paper or kitchen towel, squeeze out the moisture from the squash.
Shallow fry the acorn squash
- Heat up a pan on medium to med-high heat. Add a thin layer of oil to cover the whole bottom of the pan. (You can also choose to deep fry instead!) The oil is hot enough and ready when a drop of batter sizzles.neutral oil for frying and cooking
- Coat the slices of squash with the batter, and lay them into the hot oil. Don’t overcrowd the pan and make sure they’re not touching or they’ll stick! Fry one side until golden brown (about 2-3 min), then flip and repeat.
Make the salted egg yolk sauce and combine with the squash
- Once all the squash is fried, remove most of the oil from the pan, leaving ~2 tablespoon in the pan. Lower the heat to low-medium, and add the minced garlic. Stir-fry for 1-2 min or until fragrant.
- Add the salted egg yolk paste, salt, and sugar. Cook until the color deepens a bit (2-3 min), then add water and mix. The consistency of the sauce should be foamy.⅛ teaspoon salt, ⅛ teaspoon sugar, 1-2 tablespoon water
- Turn off the heat, then add the fried acorn squash. Mix well, making sure all pieces are coated in the salted egg yolk. Garnish with scallions, and it’s best enjoyed immediately!scallions for garnish
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
