It’s creamy, buttery, and super umami! This crispy pumpkin recipe is so addicting because of the rich salted egg yolk coating. You only need 3 main ingredients: pumpkin, cornstarch, and salted egg yolk sauce.
Salted Egg Pumpkin: A Quick Yummy Snack
If you are running out of ideas to use pumpkin, go out of the ordinary and make salted egg pumpkin. This is a classic dim sum dish that you will commonly find in Chinese restaurants. You can have it as an afternoon snack or a side dish with your entree.
This has been my favorite quick and easy pumpkin recipe since it only requires pumpkin slices coated with cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of salted egg yolk sauce. You don’t need much seasoning because the pumpkin is delicious on its own and the salted egg yolk imparts a buttery, umami taste. Basically, I first boiled the pumpkin slices for 30 seconds before deep-frying them with the cornstarch coating.
Then, I heat up the salted egg yolk sauce with a bit of oil. When it starts to bubble, I simply add the fried pumpkin slices and stir to coat them evenly. And voila—a delightful crispy pumpkin with an outer layer of tantalizing salted egg yolk sauce.
Got some extra pumpkins? Use them to make this yummy Chinese pumpkin cake recipe. Here are more egg recipes to test out for your next cooking session:
- Steamed Salted Egg Yolk Buns (Liu Sha Bao/流沙包)
- Steamed Egg Custard Buns (Nai Wong Bao)
- Century Egg And Pork Congee (皮蛋瘦肉粥)
- Creamy Egg Pudding
- Chinese Tea Egg
- Sautéed Okra and Egg
- Silky Steamed Egg With Minced Pork
- Soy Marinated Egg (Korean Mayak Gyeran)
- Seaweed Egg Drop Soup
- Microwave Steamed Eggs
- Bitter Melon Stir-Fried With Eggs
The 3 Main Ingredients Of Salted Egg Pumpkin
Pumpkin
Pumpkins are naturally sweet and earthy. When fried, it becomes fluffy on the inside and crispy on the outside. You can use any type of pumpkin, such as sugar pumpkin, kabocha, or butternut pumpkin.
Choose a pumpkin that is solid to the touch without soft spots. Give it a tap to check if it has a deep, hollow sound. If it is hollow, it means the pumpkin is ripe and full of flavor.
In addition to fresh pumpkins, you can opt for pre-cut frozen pumpkins. For this recipe, I peeled the skin and removed the seeds before cooking. However, if you prefer it with the skin on, you don’t have to peel it.
To cook the pumpkin, I boiled it in hot water for 30 seconds, coated it with cornstarch, and deep-fried it. If you want it to be super crispy, soak the pumpkin slices in salt to remove excess water, coat with cornstarch, and deep-fry or shallow fry until tender and crispy.
Salted Egg Yolk
Salted egg yolk sauce is the star of this recipe. You can buy pre-made salted egg yolk sauce in Asian grocery stores or online like Amazon. It is typically sold as a pre-mixed paste or powder.
But did you know that you can make your own salted egg yolk sauce from scratch with salted egg yolk and a few seasonings? When making your own sauce, I don’t recommend replacing salted egg yolk with regular egg yolk since the taste and texture are entirely different. Salted egg yolks are sweet and savory with a buttery, custard-like texture.
Packaged salted egg yolks
But the highlight of salted egg yolks is their rich, umami, and salty taste. They are available in Asian grocery stores as whole eggs or packaged salted egg yolks that are already separated from the egg white. For a better taste, I recommend getting whole eggs and separating the egg whites yourself.
If you’re using salted egg yolks, start by steaming them for 5-7 minutes if they’re not already cooked. Once cooked, mash the salted egg yolks finely using a fork. Then, heat oil in a pan and add the mashed salted egg yolks. Stir well and cook over low or medium heat until it begins to bubble. For added flavor, you can also include minced garlic or bird’s eye chili (optional for spice). For a demonstration of how to incorporate salted egg yolks into a dish, you can refer to my recipe for Salted Egg Yolk Prawns.
Coating And Topping
Before frying the pumpkin slices, it is best to coat them with cornstarch to give them a crispy texture and golden exterior. If you don’t have cornstarch, use tapioca flour, potato starch, all-purpose flour, or rice flour. To give the coating extra flavor and texture, you can mix equal amounts of all-purpose flour with cornstarch and add a bit of baking powder and salt.
As a final touch, add a pop of green and a mild onion taste by topping the salted egg pumpkin with chopped green onions or chives. For extra heat, sprinkle some chopped chili peppers as well.
Ingredients And Kitchenware
Another reason to love this recipe is the simple kitchenware it requires. You only need a knife for chopping and a non-stick pan for boiling and frying. Here are the ingredients to prepare:
- 1 whole pumpkin, approximately 500g, peeled and sliced into rectangular pieces
- Cornstarch (enough to coat the pumpkin)
- Oil (enough for deep-frying or shallow-frying)
- 2 tbsp oil (to cook the salted egg yolk sauce)
- 2 tbsp of salted egg yolk sauce
- 20g Chopped scallions (for garnish)
6 Steps To Make Salted Egg Pumpkin
Once you finish slicing, boiling, coating, and frying the pumpkin slices, you can mix them with the heated salted egg yolk sauce. It is that simple and easy! Watch my Instagram or TikTok video for this recipe to learn more about the process.
I would love to know your thoughts on this recipe, so don’t forget to leave a comment in the comments section. How did your salted egg pumpkin turn out? Share the results by posting a photo and tagging me @kitchenmisadventures.
- Peel the skin and remove the seeds of the pumpkin. Cut the pumpkin into rectangular pieces. If you prefer a different shape like cubes or half moons, feel free to do so.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil and add the pumpkin slices. Boil them for 30 seconds, then remove the pumpkin and drain excess water. Do not boil for too long. Otherwise, the pumpkin will become too soft and crumble.
- Coat the boiled pumpkin slices evenly with cornstarch.
- Heat oil in a pan to about 160°C and deep-fry the pumpkin until golden and crispy. You can also test the oil temperature by inserting a chopstick; if bubbles form around the chopstick, the oil is ready. This method is similar to what I used in the Deep-Fried Sugared Taro recipe. If you prefer, lessen the oil and opt for a shallow frying method. Remove the fried pumpkin and drain the oil.
- In the same pan, reserve 2 tablespoons of oil and add 2 tablespoons of salted egg yolk sauce. Heat the sauce over low heat until it begins to bubble.
- When it starts to bubble, add the fried pumpkin slices and mix thoroughly. Transfer to a serving plate and garnish with chopped green onions.
Crispy Pumpkin With Salted Egg Yolk Coating
Ingredients
- 1 whole pumpkin approximately 500g, peeled and sliced into rectangular pieces
- Cornstarch enough to coat the pumpkin
- Oil enough for deep-frying or shallow-frying
- 2 tbsp oil to cook the salted egg yolk sauce
- 2 tbsp of salted egg yolk sauce
- 20 g Chopped scallions for garnish
Instructions
- Peel the skin and remove the seeds of the pumpkin. Cut the pumpkin into rectangular pieces. If you prefer a different shape like cubes or half moons, feel free to do so.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil and add the pumpkin slices. Boil them for 30 seconds, then remove the pumpkin and drain excess water. Do not boil for too long. Otherwise, the pumpkin will become too soft and crumble.
- Coat the boiled pumpkin slices evenly with cornstarch.
- Heat oil in a pan to about 160°C and deep-fry the pumpkin until golden and crispy. You can also test the oil temperature by inserting a chopstick; if bubbles form around the chopstick, the oil is ready. This method is similar to what I used in the Deep-Fried Sugared Taro recipe. If you prefer, lessen the oil and opt for a shallow frying method. Remove the fried pumpkin and drain the oil.
- In the same pan, reserve 2 tablespoons of oil and add 2 tablespoons of salted egg yolk sauce. Heat the sauce over low heat until it begins to bubble.
- When it starts to bubble, add the fried pumpkin slices and mix thoroughly. Transfer to a serving plate and garnish with chopped green onions.
