Pumpkin cakes
These pumpkin cakes from Chinese-ish have a crunchy, sesame-coated outside and a sweet and gooey pumpkin-filled centre. They only need 5 ingredients to make, and come together very quickly. Make sure to use glutinous rice flour and not regular rice flour though, otherwise the dough won't work.
This recipe is taken from Chinese-Ish by Rosheen Kaul and Joanna Hu (Murdoch Books, £22). Photography by Armelle Habib.
Ingredients
- 300g of pumpkin , (about 1 small pumpkin), peeled, deseeded and cut into thin, even slices
- 2 tbsp of icing sugar
- 200g of glutinous rice flour
- vegetable oil, for deep-frying
- 75g of white sesame seeds
Method
Place the pumpkin in a microwave-safe container and cook on high for 8 minutes, until very soft. Alternatively, you could steam the pumpkin for 25–30 minutes, until very soft. Drain any excess water from the flesh, place in a blender and blend into a puree. Add the icing sugar, adjust for your desired level of sweetness and blend once more
- 300g of pumpkin , (about 1 small pumpkin), peeled, deseeded and cut into thin, even slices
- 2 tbsp of icing sugar
Transfer the pumpkin puree to a bowl and add the glutinous rice flour in increments, working the mixture into a dry dough with your hands. You may need to add more flour depending on the water content of your pumpkin. The dough shouldn’t stick to your hands
- 200g of glutinous rice flour
In a wok or heavy-based pan, heat the oil to 160°C, using a food thermometer to check the temperature
- vegetable oil, for deep-frying
To make the cakes, roll the pumpkin dough into balls about the size of a ping pong, then flatten each into a 1.5 cm disc. Lightly dampen the surface of each cake with a little water and coat with sesame seeds. Working in batches, gently slide the cakes into the hot oil and fry until golden-brown, about 5–6 minutes
- 75g of white sesame seeds
After all the cakes have been fried once, fry them a second time for about 20 seconds to form a lasting crispy shell. Set aside to cool briefly before serving
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Pumpkin cakes
