Crispy Sweet Pumpkin and Sweet Potato Fritters
Golden and Crunchy Sweet Pumpkin & Sweet Potato Fritters: A Healthy Snack
As the long winter nights draw in, are you wondering what to snack on after dinner? My husband, who doesn’t smoke or drink, often gets curious about snacks. So, I decided to make these delicious sweet pumpkin and sweet potato fritters. They’re savory, crispy, and wonderfully healthy – a perfect treat for any time!
Fritter Ingredients- 1/2 mini sweet pumpkin
- 2 sweet potatoes
- 100mL sparkling water
- 1/2 cup cold water
- 1 cup tempura flour
- Vegetable oil for deep-frying
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
Wash the mini sweet pumpkin thoroughly. Microwave it for about 3 minutes until slightly softened, which makes it easier to handle. Then, cut the pumpkin in half.
Step 2
Scoop out and discard the seeds and stringy bits from the pumpkin halves. Cut the pumpkin flesh into bite-sized pieces. Avoid cutting them too small, as they might break apart during frying.
Step 3
In a mixing bowl, combine 1 cup of tempura flour with 100mL of cold sparkling water and 1/2 cup of cold water. Using sparkling and cold water helps create a crispier batter. Mix lightly with chopsticks or a fork until just combined; some lumps are okay. Overmixing can develop gluten, making the batter tough. Lightly coat the pumpkin pieces with this batter.
Step 4
Heat a generous amount of vegetable oil in a pot over medium heat. To test the oil temperature, drop a small amount of batter into the oil; it should float immediately. Carefully add the battered pumpkin pieces to the hot oil, ensuring not to overcrowd the pot, as this can lower the oil temperature and result in soggy fritters. Fry in batches if necessary.
Step 5
While the pumpkin is frying, periodically skim off any excess batter bits that float to the surface using a fine-mesh sieve or slotted spoon. This keeps the frying oil clean and results in a crisper finish. Once the pumpkin fritters are golden brown, remove them from the oil and let them drain on a wire rack.
Step 6
Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into similarly bite-sized pieces, such as sticks or rounds. Coat the cut sweet potato pieces evenly with the prepared tempura batter. Gently toss them to ensure the batter adheres well.
Step 7
Check the oil temperature again. Once it’s ready, carefully add the battered sweet potato pieces to the hot oil. Sweet potatoes may require a slightly longer cooking time than pumpkin to ensure they are cooked through. Fry until the sweet potato fritters are a beautiful golden-brown color all over and cooked through. Remove them from the oil, drain well, and enjoy them while they’re warm and crispy!
