Do you like pumpkins? When it comes to pumpkins, we’re no strangers, and we can see it both on Halloween and Thanksgiving. Pumpkin pie, pumpkin cake, jack-o’-lantern. Pumpkin is rich in dietary fiber, and in China, pumpkin is a common ingredient, chefs cook it into a dish, a soup, and dessert chefs make it into a dessert. Although I’m not a professional dessert chef, I’m going to use pumpkin to make a “dessert” today, sweet pumpkin fries. Well, it’s really sweet, but I use the Chinese cooking process to make it. It’s more like a snack. Hope you will like it.
Nutritional benefits of pumpkin
According to Healthline, pumpkin may be an ideal diet food. Pumpkin is high in water content, but also high in fiber, vitamins, minerals, and essential antioxidants. The fiber and water content keep the calorie count low.
One cup of cooked pumpkin (245 grams) contains:
- Calories: 49
- Fat: 0.2 grams
- Protein: 2 grams
- Carbs: 12 grams
- Fiber: 3 grams
- Vitamin A: 245% of the Reference Daily Intake (RDI)
- Vitamin C: 19% of the RDI
- Potassium: 16% of the RDI
- Copper: 11% of the RDI
- Manganese: 11% of the RDI
- Vitamin B2: 11% of the RDI
- Vitamin E: 10% of the RDI
- Iron: 8% of the RDI
- Small amounts of magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, folate and several B vitamins.
Besides being packed with vitamins and minerals, pumpkin is also relatively low in calories, as it’s 94% water. It’s also very high in beta-carotene, a carotenoid that your body turns into vitamin A.
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/pumpkin#TOC_TITLE_HDR_3
Notes about making Chinese pumpkin fries
We use sugar to soften the pumpkin. If you do not like it too sweet, you can rinse the pumpkin after marinating to remove the excess sugar. We will heat the oil, then remove it from the wok to a heat proof container. Before you begin, make sure you have a container handy that is sufficiently large enough to hold the hot oil. The heated oil is added back to the wok in small amounts during the cooking process.
Sweet Pumpkin French Fries
Equipment
- 1 wok cast iron or carbon steel
- 1 heat safe container for hot oil
Ingredients
- 500 g pumpkin
- 40 g sugar, white (granulated)
- 30 g cornstarch
- Cooking oil
Instructions
- Peel the pumpkin and remove the pulp and seeds.
- Divide the pumpkin into large chunks.
- Cut the pumpkin into strips, like french fries.
- Add the white sugar to the pumpkin, stir well to mix, and let it marinate for 20 to 30 minutes.
- Drain the pumpkin, then add the cornstarch and stir well to coat evenly.
- Put enough oil in the wok to cover the pumpkin strips. Heat it to 150°-180° C (300°-355° F). Pour the heated oil into a heatproof container and set it aside.
- Set the flame to medium-low. Add 80ml of the heated oil to the wok and spread the pumpkin evenly in the pan. Turn the pan and brown the edges of the pumpkin to set the coating.
- Then add more of the hot oil in small amounts until the oil submerges the pumpkin. Increase the flame to medium and fry the pumpkin until it is crispy on the surface.
- Remove the fried pumpkin from the oil and serve.
Notes
- Don’t cut the pumpkin too thick or too fine.
- Marinating pumpkin with white sugar will make the pumpkin soft, and if you want it to soften faster, you can keep rubbing it with your hands. This can speed up its marinating.
- When you are deep-frying, be careful not to let the pumpkin stick to the bottom of the pan and use a slotted spoon to push it slightly after the pumpkin is set to heat it evenly.
- When the pumpkin is cooked, it suspends or floats in hot oil.
- If you don’t like it too sweet, you can cut down on some sugar a little or wash the pumpkin after marinating and drain it.
Nutrition
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I would very much like to try these!! They look good!!!