Crispy Kabocha with Salted Egg Yolk
I had this dish for the first time at Blue Sky Cafe in Belmont and it was absolutely incredible. Just a delightful combination, and the salted egg yolk adds a lovely touch to the whole dish. It works well that the pumpkin / kabocha / etc is a bit sweet, so the salted egg yolk is a perfect contrast to it. Luckily smelly lunchbox had a recipe for this (https://smellylunchbox.com/crispy-pumpkin-with-salted-egg-yolk/), this is largely just following that. Just be mentally prepared for the slicing process ... it can be really difficult if you're using kabocha.
Active Time: 30 min
Total Time: 30 min
Ingredients
putting everything together:
> kabocha (10 oz)
> salt (1/8 tsp)
> scallions (garnish)
for the batter:
> flour (1/4 cup)
> corn starch (1/4 cup)
> baking powder (1/2 tsp)
> salt (1/4 tsp)
> water (1/3 to 1/2 cup)
> oil (1 tsp)
for the salted egg yolk sauce:
> garlic (3 cloves, minced)
> salted egg yolks (3, mashed into a paste)
> salt (1/8 tsp)
> sugar (1/8 tsp)
> water (1-2 tbsp)
Instructions
1. Prep the kabocha. Scrape out the seeds, peel the outer layer, and slice into thin-ish pieces (1/4 to 1/2 inch thick). Sprinkle a bit of salt and let sit to draw out some of the moisture.
2. Mix the batter ingredients (flour, corn starch, baking powder, salt, water, oil) until there are no lumps. It should be smooth and coat the back of a spoon.
3. Deep fry! Coat kabocha with a thin layer of batter, lay into hot oil, and fry until golden brown, ~2-3m on each side. Let rest on a wire rack.
4. Prepare the salted egg yolk sauce. Stir fry garlic for ~1-2m over medium-low heat. Add the salted egg yolk paste, salt, and sugar. Cook for ~2m until color deepens a bit. Add water and mix, at this point the consistency should be foamy.
5. Turn off the heat, add kabocha, mix well, garnish with scallions, and serve immediately!
Notes/Tips:
> The batter ingredient amounts were kind of hand-wavy. I prefer a thinner, lighter batter that's similar to a tempura batter. But I would also avoid using too thin of a batter, otherwise it won't stand up to the salted egg yolk sauce. Add a bit more water if needed to achieve the desired texture, or add less water if you prefer a thicker batter.
> If your kabocha fries to golden brown in ~2-3m on each side, then your oil temperature is probably properly calibrated.
> When I first cut into the kabocha, I thought "there's no way this is going to cook properly this is so hard", but remarkably it actually turned out very well. It definitely softens quickly with a little bit of cooking.
> Same deep-frying principles apply -- do NOT overcrowd your pot, make sure to use a wire rack to allow the kabocha to crisp up well after deep-frying is complete.
> If you can, buy pre-cut kabocha because it is so incredibly difficult to properly slice into thin pieces. You'll definitely need a cleaver for this. Or alternatively, you could also use acorn squash, which I'm given to understand is not quite as hard to cut.