I have tried a number of pumpkin dishes this season, from sweet to savoury. It has come to my conclusion that apart from a spiced pumpkin soup or seasoned roasted pumpkin wedges for snacks, nothing beats good old simple savoury dishes. I find this super easy and fast Savoury Sweet Pumpkin Fry to be the best for me. All season I have made pumpkin cheesecakes, muffins and pies, even a pumpkin loaf. Seriously, I do not know what the hype is all about with the sweet dishes. Maybe I am getting too old or maybe I am just 100% Malaysian at heart with spicy tastebuds. 

CRAVING

Many years ago, one of my relatives served this simple savoury dish with chapati. The memory of it came to me last month and ever since then it became an obsession and craving. I just had to have it, so I asked Yazreena for her mum’s recipe. It is now my favourite pumpkin dish and it’s the simplest of them all. I really like ‘Labu masak cili’ (translated as ‘pumpkin cooked with chilli’). Making this dish is simple and fast. After having it for dinner and leftovers for breakfast, I still want more. I simply can’t get enough of it just yet!

INGREDIENTS

Sweet Pumpkin or Butternut Squash, Shallots, Garlic, Chillies and scallions for garnish. The recipe calls for a little ground dried prawns for flavour too. It’s a Malaysian thing and it does give an amazing flavour, though I know it is an acquired taste for many people. You may wish to omit the dried prawns, but I feel it then loses it’s authentic flavour.

BIRD’S EYE CHILLIES VS REGULAR RED CHILLIES

Although I prefer savoury dishes, I am unable to handle the cili padi part of it (birds eye chillies). The level of spicy is really a personal thing, so I just tweaked the chilli part in the recipe, to suit my taste. Instead of bird’s eye chillies, I added a little chilli powder, smoked paprika, and 2 deseeded red chillies for it’s flavour. Deeeelicious! Another minor unintentional tweak was that I added in 1 roasted sweet potato as well. I had this extra sweet potato from the day before which I had roasted for snacks but never got round to eating! It added an extra sweetness to the savoury dish and I have to admit, it was really good. My husband loved it so much that he had a second helping but with Rice instead of Chapati.

HOW TO PREPARE

First peel and cut pumpkin into cubes and set aside. You may season and oil it to roast beforehand if you wish. I did this the first time round so I did not have to boil it after adding to the other ingredients. The second attemp was the way of the original recipe and I find that both ways turned out the same. Slice Shallots and garlic. Wash and pound the dried prawns. Chop/slice chillies and scallions. I deseeded the chillies. Season as to your personal taste. I added a little hot chillie powder and smoked paprika. (Scroll down for the detailed recipe and print version)

Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a pan/pot and fry the shallots till limp but not browned. Add the rest of ingredients and fry till the aroma comes out. Add the pumpkin cubes and 1-11/2 cups water and bring to a boil. Lower heat and cover to simmer till pumpkin is cooked and soft. Add more water a little by little if it dries up before pumpkin is cooked. Cook it till all water dries up unless you wish for a little gravy if serving it with Rice. Add in a bunch of chopped scallions the last 2 minutes of cooking and reserve some for garnish. Best served with Chapati.

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Savoury Sweet Pumpkin Fry

This Savoury dish is super easy to make. It is best cooked with sweet pumpkin or butternut squash. It can be served with rice or roti, but goes superbly well with chapati!

Course Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine Asian, Malaysian

Keyword Butternut Squash, Malaysian, Pumpkin, Pumpkin Fry, Savoury, Savoury Sweet, vegan, vegetarian

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Calories

Ingredients

• 2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil I used rapeseed oil
• 500 grams sweet pumpkin or butternut squash I used 1 very small butternut squash and 1 sweet potato
• 1-1.5 cup water
• 8 shallots sliced
• 3-6 cloves garlic I used 6
• 1-2 tablespoons Dried prawns optional – wash and pound/grind
• 2 Bird's Eye Chillies or Red Chillies. I used 2 deseeded red chillies. Add/change to suit your taste.
• 1 bunch scallions chopped
• 2 teaspoons hot chili powder optional and use to suit personal taste
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika powder optional and use to suit personal taste
• Salt to taste

Instructions

• Heat oil in pan/wok/pot
• Fry shallots till limp but not brown.
• Add in garlic, dried prawns, chillies, chilli powder and smoked paprika. Fry till browned.
• Add in the pumpkin cubes and water. Lower heat to low and cover. Let it cook on low heat till pumpkin is cooked, checking and stirring occasionally. Add more water a little by little if it dries up before pumpkin is cooked.
• Add a bunch of chopped scallions during the last few minutes of cooking and reserve some for garnish. Cook pumpkin is soft. Most of the water will evaporate, making this a dry fry.
• Season with salt to taste. Garnish and Serve hot.
• Best served with Chapati.

Notes

1. Add or lessen chillies to suit your taste.
2. Dried prawns may be ommited due to allergies or for a vegan dish, but then it will lose it’s authentic flavour. 
3. Most of the water will evaporate, making this a dry fry.

If you have tried this recipe, do let me know how it turned out! Tag @sweetsharings on instagram and mention #sweetsharings in a hashtag.

The post Savoury Sweet Pumpkin Fry (Labu Masak Cili) appeared first on Sweet Sharings.

You only need 4 ingredients to make this – Large Green Chillies, Vinegar, sugar and salt. 

PREPARATION AND STORAGE TIME

It takes me only 10 minutes to prepare and is ready in 2 hours and for best results, overnight. There is always a jar of these home-made pickles in the fridge. My husband and I enjoy them with various noodles and even sometimes with a rice dish. It stores well for up to 2 months in the refrigerator but it never really lasts longer than 3 weeks in my home

TYPE OF GREEN CHILLIES TO USE

I use any type of Large Green Chillies for this pickle, NOT the small Thai chillies/birds eye chillies. The Jalepeño variety is my favourite though – simply love it’s mild herbacious flavour!

Jalepeño – I use this variety. Jalepeño Chillies have a distinct herbaceous flavour and are generally mellow enough for stuffing and eating whole – try filling them with cream cheese then baking them in the oven for a fabulous pre-dinner nibble. When pickled, it’s a perfect level of spicy with sweet and sour hints.

Serrano – You can usually get these standard mild to medium Chillies from stores in mixed packs. Although it’s not specified on the pack they’re usually actually the Serrano variety, and their heat will vary considerably from batch to batch and month to month. I find that the best way to check is to cut a sliver off and taste it to see if I’ve got a mild kick or a hefty punch.

While I can easily buy a jar of pickled green chilies from Asian stores, it is just not the same as home-made. My home-made pickles are tastier and made with fresh ingredients. I get to use all organic ingredients too, minus the nasty chemical preservatives.   

TYPE OF VINEGAR TO USE

Rice vinegar is usually used for this pickle. You can use distilled white vinegar as well. Sometimes when I run out of vinegar, I use Apple cider vinegar, which gives it a slightly different flavour. I usually use a Japanese Brown Rice Vinegar though which is my favourite for most dishes needing a splash of vinegar.

Brown Rice Vinegar is generally less acidic than other vinegars and has a milder, sweeter flavor. It is Light to dark brown in color and is made from unpolished brown rice. This version of rice vinegar is reputedly richer in nutrients and can often be used in place of white rice vinegar. If you enjoy noodles, then you may want to make this recipe to go as a condiment with my 20-min Dry Wonton Noodles. 

TAKE GREAT CARE WHEN PICKLING

Make sure you wash your hands thoroughly before and after preparing them. Use paper kitchen towel to soak up any excess water from the chillies before pickling them. It’s important to prevent the chillies from getting spoiled during the pickling process. Always use a clean dry spoon to scoop the chillies from the jar.

You may want to resist the temptation to touch your face or rub your eyes when preparing pickled chillies Wash hands thoroughly after touching chillies or wear gloves when preparing it. 

STORAGE

Store these quick pickled green chillies in clean, dry sterilized jars. Use only clean and dry utensils to take the chillies slices from the bottle. This will help in extending the shelf life of the pickled chillies. With proper handling, my pickled chillies can last up to 2 months in the refrigerator.

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Quick Pickled Green Chillies

A popular condiment to many Asian noodle dishes and street food in Southeast Asia. It takes only 4 ingredients and 10 minutes to prepare and can be ready within 2 hours. I always have a jar of these home-made pickles in the fridge and enjoy them with Noodles, Fried Rice, in burgers and Sandwiches and as a topping for Pizza. It stores well for up to 2 months in the refrigerator.

Course Condiment

Cuisine Asian, Chinese, Malaysian, Singaporean

Diet Diabetic, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword chillies, condiment, green chillies, noodle condiment, pickle, pickled chillies, pickled green chillies, spicy

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Soaking Time 2 hours hours

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Calories

Equipment

• Mason Jar for pickling

Ingredients

• 200 gm Large Green Chillies I used Jalepeño Green Chillies
• 250 ml Vinegar 1 cup. See notes for types of Vinegar.
• 1 tbsp Sugar Being Diabetic, I used Erythritol
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 cup Hot Boiled water for Blanching

Instructions

• Wash the chilies with clean water. Pat dry and cut off the stems. Then slice crosswise into 4–5mm or 1/4 inch rings.
• Transfer to colander and rinse to remove excess seeds
• Place cut chillies in a bowl
• Bring enough water to a boil and pour it into the bowl. Blanch chilies briefly for 15 seconds and drain well in a strainer to discard the hot water.
• Rinse/run cold water over the chillies in the strainer to cool the chillies. Set aside to drain well.
• Dissolve Vinegar, Sugar and Salt in a measuring cup and stir well with a clean dry spoon.
• Carefully transfer chillies to a dry, sterilised jar and pour the vinegar mixture over it.
• Secure the lid and store in Fridge. The pickled green chilies should be ready in about 2 hours but always better overnight. The color of the chilies would have turned from deep green to a more muted green now.

Notes

TYPE OF GREEN CHILLIES TO USE
Any type of Large Green Chillies are used for this pickle, not the small Thai chillies/birds eye chillies. I use Jalepeño as it has a herbacious flavour and is neither too spicy nor mild.

TYPE OF VINEGAR TO USE
Rice vinegar is usually used for this pickle. You can use distilled white vinegar as well. Apple cider vinegar may also be used, giving it a slightly different flavour. I used a Japanese Brown Rice Vinegar.

TAKE GREAT CARE WHEN PICKLING
Wash your hands thoroughly before and after preparing them. Always use clean and dry utensils to take the chilli slices from the bottle. This will help in extending the shelf life of the pickled chillies.

STORAGE
Store in clean, dry sterilized jars. The pickled chillies can last up to 1.5-2 months if proper care is taken.

TIPS ON STERILISING JARS

1st method : Scald Glass Jars with boiling water and let it air dry. Do not wipe dry.

2nd Method : Wash your jars and the lids in hot soapy water, but do not dry them. Instead, leave them to stand upside down on a roasting tray lined with baking paper while they’re still wet. Pop the tray of clean, wet jars and lids in to a preheated oven at 140°C / 120C Fan/  275°F / Gas Mark 1 for about 15 – 20 mins.

3rd Method : put jars through a hot dishwasher cycle that is at least 60C. Do not dry them with a tea towel, leave them to air dry.

I love my pickled green chillies as a topping on a plain tomato and cheese Pizza. it gives a really nice punch to it.

GIVE IT A TRY!

If you liked pickled condiments with a bit of a spice, give this recipe a try!  Thanks for visiting my blog. Take a picture if you’ve made this recipe and tag me on Instagram @sweetsharings  in your feed or stories so I can share your creation in my stories with credits to you!

The post Quick Pickled Green Chillies appeared first on Sweet Sharings.