Asian Pumpkin Recipes For Autumn

Now that autumn is in full swing, with crisp orange leaves lying like a blanket across the ground, and the chilly air making us want to sit inside with a hot cup of cocoa, it is the perfect time to try out some incredible pumpkin recipes! Using pumpkin or squash, these Asian dishes fuse hearty comfort food with the delicious tastes of autumn!

Pumpkin Dumplings

This recipe makes 10 dumplings.

260g pumpkin, skinned, deseeded and chopped into cubes

1 tbsp water

1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated

5 grams garlic chives, finely chopped

10 wonton wrappers

Olive Oil

Method

1. Place 1 tbsp of water and 1 tbsp of olive oil in a saucepan with the chopped pumpkin and heat over a medium heat with the lid on. Cook for 15 minutes and stir occasionally.
2. Add in the grated ginger and continue cooking for 5 minutes before turning off the heat.
3. Sieve the pumpkin and ginger mixture to remove any excess liquid. It is best to leave it to sieve overnight or for a couple of hours as this will ensure that the dumplings are not soggy.
4. Add the chives into the mixture.
5. When the pumpkin mixture is cool, add a teaspoon onto the centre of each wonton wrapper. Slightly wet the edge of the pastry with your finger or a brush, and then fold them to make a semi-circle, pressing down on the edge to seal it.
6. Steam the dumplings for 5 minutes before transferring them to a heat frying pan with 2 tbsp hot oil to gain a little colour on each side.
7. Serve with soy sauce to dip.

Kabocha Korokke (Japanese Winter Pumpkin Croquettes)

This recipe makes 20 croquettes.

1 Kabocha (Japanese pumpkin/squash), seeded, cut into wedges

1 brown onion, finely chopped

2 tbsp olive oil

3 tbsp milk

1 egg

180g panko breadcrumbs

25g flour

Salt and pepper

Method

1. Heat oven to 200C.
2. Place the kabocha pieces on a baking tray, drizzle with oil and season. Bake for 45 minutes until soft.
3. Sauté the onion while the kabocha is cooking and set aside.
4. When the kabocha has cooled, mash it together with the onions and season. Add in 1 tbsp milk.
5. Use the remaining milk to create an egg wash, by combining the egg and milk. Set up the flour in one bowl, the egg wash in a second bowl and the breadcrumbs in a third.
6. Shape the mixture into balls and dip into the flour, then the egg wash and finally the breadcrumbs.
7. Heat oil in a medium pan and fry the kabocha korokke until golden brown, for about 2 minutes on each side.
8. Allow to cool a little before serving with a tomato sauce.

For all the ingredients you need, visit our Chinese supermarket online!