Ingredients
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10½ oz (300 g) kabocha Pumpkin
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5½ oz (150 g) White Onions
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1¾ oz (50 g) firm, spicy Chorizo Sausage
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½ tsp fine Sea Salt
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Sunflower Oil
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1 quantity of Tempura Batter
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3 tbsp Corn Flour
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To Serve
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1 quantity of Yuzu-Pon Sauce
Directions
Kabocha pumpkin is one of my favourite Japanese vegetables it is a versatile ingredient that goes well in both savoury and sweet dishes. The skin is edible, tastes delicious and is full of nutrients, so do not throw it away! In Japan it is socially unacceptable to be wasteful – the exclamation mottainai in Japanese translates as ‘Don’t be wasteful!’ and refers not only to the wastefulness of food and other resources but also thoughts and action. I always prepare this kakiage when making the Japanese Kabocha Pumpkin Squares dessert, so nothing is wasted.
Steps
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1
Done
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Make the Yuzu-Pon Sauce, if using. Wash and dry the kabocha pumpkin. Using a vegetable peeler, peel the pumpkin thoroughly and continue peeling the flesh until you obtain the required weight. Roughly chop the pumpkin skin and flesh with a knife or food processor. In a bowl, mix the pumpkin with the onion, chorizo and sea salt. |
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2
Done
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In a medium-sized pan, heat about 4 cm (1½ inch) deep of sunflower oil for deep-frying to 160°C (320°F). While the oil is heating up, prepare the Tempura Batter, or if using tempura batter mix, very lightly mix it with the chilled water until a lumpy batter is achieved. Do not overmix, the batter is meant to be lumpy. |
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3
Done
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Add the cornflour (cornstarch) or tempura flour to the pumpkin, onion and chorizo mixture and mix well so that everything is coated in flour. Now add most of the lumpy tempura batter to the bowl and mix it thoroughly until the vegetables and chorizo are all partially wet and a rough batter is formed. The consistency should not be completely wet, it should be lumpy, with visible pockets of dry flour but paste-like enough to stick the vegetables and chorizo together. Add more tempura batter, water or flour if necessary. |
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4
Done
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Add the cornflour (cornstarch) or tempura flour to the pumpkin, onion and chorizo mixture and mix well so that everything is coated in flour. Now add most of the lumpy tempura batter to the bowl and mix it thoroughly until the vegetables and chorizo are all partially wet and a rough batter is formed. The consistency should not be completely wet, it should be lumpy, with visible pockets of dry flour but paste-like enough to stick the vegetables and chorizo together. Add more tempura batter, water or flour if necessary. |
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5
Done
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Serve the fritters with the Yuzu-Pon Sauce, or with a generous sprinkle of Japanese wasabi, matcha or sakura salt. |
