crispy pumpkin with salted egg yolk

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 or kabocha instead of acorn squash, 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). Instead, look for uncooked, whole salted eggs.

Check out my other popular Chinese restaurant recipes:

• Chinese Beef and Broccoli
• Panda Express Mushroom Chicken
• Honey Walnut Shrimp

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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!

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutesmins

Cook Time 15 minutesmins

Total Time 30 minutesmins

Course Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine Chinese

Servings 2

Ingredients

1x2x3x

• 10ozacorn squash, kabocha, or pumpkin
• 1/8tspsalt

batter:

• 1/4cupall purpose flour
• 1/4cupcornstarch
• 1/2tspbaking powder
• 1/4tspsalt
• 5-6tbspwaterless for thicker fried crust, more for thinner fried crust
• 1tspneutral oil

salted egg yolk sauce:

• 3cooked salted egg yolks
• 2-3clovesof garlicminced
• 1/8tspsalt
• 1/8tspsugar
• 1-2tbspwater

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 1/4 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 let the salt season the squash and draw out extra moisture while you prepare the other ingredients.
  1/8 tsp 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. The batter should be smooth and coat the back of a spoon nicely.
  1/4 cup all purpose flour, 1/4 cup cornstarch, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp salt, 5-6 tbsp water, 1 tsp 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 or a steamed meat patty.
  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 heat. Add enough 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!
• If they brown instantly, lower the heat. We want to develop the light golden crust gradually! Fry one side until golden brown (about 2-3 min), then flip and repeat.
• Let the fried squash rest on a wire rack. This allows airflow around the squash, which keeps it crispy.

Make the salted egg yolk sauce and combine with the squash

• Once all the squash is fried, remove most of the oil (except for 1 tbsp) from 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.
  1/8 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp sugar, 1-2 tbsp water
• Turn off the heat, then add the fried acorn squash. Mix well, making sure all pieces are coated in the salted egg yolk sauce. Garnish with scallions, and it’s best enjoyed immediately!
  scallions for garnish

Video

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Keyword pumpkin with salted egg yolk, salted egg yolk mooncake

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