PUMPKIN FRITTERS

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This Recipe Makes ± 30 Fritters

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Pumpkin Fritters are a heavenly snack or dessert. These sweet & savoury treats are also known to many South Africans as Pampoen Koekies which is the Afrikaans word for Pumpkin Fritters.

A fritter is basically a portion of batter that is fried. Fritters can be filled with a variety of things. They are prepared in both sweet & savory varieties.

 

Pumpkin Fritters Ingredients:

• 2 cups pumpkin or butternut
• Pinch of salt
• 200 ml milk
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ¼ teaspoon elachi (cardamom) powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
• 2 ½ cups flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• vegetable oil for deep frying

Method:

1. 1. For this recipe I have used butternut instead of pumpkin.
   2. 
   3. Carefully cut off the peel of either the butternut or pumpkin & then chop the flesh into small cubes. You just need 2 cups for this recipe, the remaining cubes can be frozen & used for another time or another recipe that requires butternut or pumpkin, eg. Pumpkin Curry or Fried Butternut.
   4. 
   5. Place the fleshy cubes into a medium sized pot.
   6. 
   7. Fill the pot with some water & bring the butternut/pumpkin to a boil. Boil until the pumpkin/butternut is soft – test by poking it with a fork or a knife, it should slide through easily.
   8. 
   9. 
   10. Once the butternut/pumpkin is cooked, drain in a strainer to remove any excess water.
   11. 
   12. Once drained, transfer to a bowl & using a fork or a masher, mash up the butternut/pumpkin.
   13. 
   14. 
   15. Thereafter, add in the brown sugar.
   16. 
   17. Mix well.
   18. 
   19. Then add in the baking powder, elachi (cardamom) powder, cinnamon powder & vanilla essence.
   20. 
   21. Thereafter, drop in the flour.
   22. 
   23. Roughly mix together.
   24. 
   25. Lastly, pour in the milk.
   26. 
   27. Combine to form a batter. If the batter is too weak, simply add in more flour & if the batter is too thick just add in more milk.
   28. 
   29. Heat some vegetable oil in a small deep pot.
   30. Test the heat of the oil by dropping in a little batter, if it sizzles then the oil is hot enough to begin frying the fritters.
   31. Using your hand, grab a little batter & carefully drop in balls of the batter into the hot oil. You can also use a tablespoon but this might not allow it to form a rounded shape.
   32. 
   33. Fry the fritters on medium heat for about 3-4 minutes on each side until golden.
   34. 
   35. Once they are fried, remove & place on paper towels to remove excess oil.
   36. 
   37. Serve hot as is or enjoy by rolling them in cinnamon sugar mix or a delicious caramel sauce.
   38. 
   39. It’s best to finish these Pumpkin Fritters once fried because when kept away they tend to get soft & soggy.
   40.