Crispy Fried Pumpkin With Salted Egg Yolk

I know how much everyone loves pumpkin. It’s usually one of the first signs of fall before the leaves start changing. And while we’re past fall now, pumpkin is still readily available. Plus, you can make this dish with other types of winter squash. You might be familiar with all kinds of roasted pumpkin and winter squash dishes. But did you know you can make it into a delicious stir fry as well? Fried pumpkin with salted egg is a classic Chinese dish that takes just a few ingredients. And the result is a decadent, crispy, and rich dish that works as a side dish or even a main dish for a meatless meal. The pumpkin is coated with cornstarch, then shallow-fried until crispy on the outside and tender inside. After that, you cook it with garlic and crumbled salted duck egg yolk which gives it a savory and amazingly rich flavor.

What is salted duck egg yolk

Salted duck yolk (咸鸭蛋黄) comes from a Chinese way of preserving salted duck eggs. To make salted duck egg, raw duck eggs usually get soaked in brine or packed in a damp setting of salted charcoal to cure. Then you can boil the eggs before serving or use them in other dishes. These eggs are aromatic from the brine and the yolk is firm with a bright orangish-red hue. In Northern China, we serve the whole egg with plain congee as a form of pickle. It’s also very common to use the yolk as a seasoning, to make a vegetable stir fry very scrumptious and bursting with flavor. When used in this recipe, the cooked duck yolks become thick and foamy, making for the perfect coating for the fried pumpkin.

Where to buy

Ingredients

Traditionally, fried pumpkin with salted egg yolk uses pumpkin, much as the name implies. However, you can use other types of winter squash instead. I have used butternut squash with this recipe because it’s so easy to cut. I’d also recommend acorn squash and kabocha.

Cooking process

When you see fried pumpkin with salted egg yolk in Chinese restaurants, they deep fry it to get that crispy coating. But I’ll show you how to achieve those results with a shallow fry. If you don’t want to use a shallow fry, you can blanch your pumpkin or squash until al dente, and then pan fry it with a bit of oil. It will be less crispy but still have a delicious flavor. Give this fried pumpkin with salted egg yolk a try and you’ll be hooked. It’s very satisfying and filling, too. I love it as a side dish though it also makes a great main dish for vegetarian dinners if you’d prefer.