This Fried Pumpkin is an amazing appetizer or side dish you can make in 30 minutes. It's similar to yam tempura, but it's even crispier because it's coated with panko breadcrumbs.
I remember I came up with this recipe because I was making chicken katsu and I had a bunch of leftover egg wash and breadcrumbs that I didn't want to waste. I was looking for things in my kitchen I could "katsu-ify," and I settled on some pumpkin that my parents gifted me from their garden.
What pumpkin to use?
I highly recommend Kabocha pumpkins because they're drier and firmer than other pumpkins. I have found in the past that regular pumpkins (the ones you would use for Halloween) are more difficult to get a crispy texture because they have more moisture in them.
Another important thing to remember is to cut the pumpkin slices thinly. I go no larger than ¼-inch per slice. Pumpkin slices that are cut thicker will still be raw by the time the breading is cooked. Pumpkin skin is pretty hard but you can use a vegetable peeler to peel it.
The breading process
Most breading recipes involve three steps: first coating in flour, then dipping in egg wash and finally covering in breadcrumbs. However, after making Peanut Butter Chicken, I realized you can combine the flour and egg wash into a single step.
Just combine the egg and flour in one dish and pour the breadcrumbs into another. Then dip the pumpkin into the egg wash and coat in the breadcrumbs.
Frying
For frying the pumpkin slices, I decided on shallow-frying them. Just heat ½ a cup of oil in a nonstick pan, and fry both sides for 2-3 minutes until golden brown.
Panko Fried Pumpkin
Ingredients
- ½ small pumpkin (I'm using Kabocha pumpkin; peeled and seeds removed)
- 2 cups panko breadcrumbs
- 2 large eggs
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- oil for frying
Instructions
- Cut the pumpkin into ¼-inch thick slices. They need to be pretty thin so that they cook fast.
- In a shallow dish, whisk the eggs, flour, salt, and black pepper until smooth.
- In another shallow dish, add the breadcrumbs.
- Dip a pumpkin slice into the egg wash. Shake off the excess then transfer to the dish of breadcrumbs. Toss some breadcrumbs on top of the pumpkin then gently press to get the breadcrumbs on the other side to stick. Then, flip and press again. Finally, transfer to a baking sheet while you do the rest.
- Heat a nonstick pan over medium heat. Add ½ cup of oil and let it heat up until it starts to shimmer. Lay down 4-6 pumpkin slices and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to drain excess oil. You can also transfer to a paper towel-lined plate, but a wire rack will allow air to circulate beneath them and keep them crispier for longer.
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