Don’t get surprised. Pumpkin flowers are edible like Banana Flower Dish. You might have had pumpkin in your menu but might not have thought of trying the flower. Tell you truly; you will like it. I will share ingredients, quantity, and preparations. But before we go ahead, here are some benefits of eating Pumpkin flower—Treatment of the Common Cold, Enhances Immunity, Bone Formation, Healthy Eyes. My mother-in-law has the Best Recipe for Fried Pumpkin Flower.
How to make Fried Pumpkin Flower
Ingredients & Quantity:
- Pumpkin Flower
- Posto – 1 tsp
- Rice Flour – 50 gm
- Maida – 50 gm
- Turmeric powder – 1 tsp
- Nigella seeds (Kala Jeera) – ½ tsp
- Salt ( as per taste )
- Oil
Preparation steps:
- Wash the pumpkin flower.
- Cut the young leaves and shoots too i.e., chop off the stems. Remove the stamen and the pistil from the flower with your finger (as shown in the images).
- Heat the oil in a frying pan or non-stick Kadai.
- Take off all the pistils from the flower.
- Add all the ingredients together. Mix it with water to make a paste. The paste should not be watery.
- Dip each pumpkin flower in the paste properly. Put it in the Kadai / Frying Pan and fry it in medium heat. Fry till the pumpkin flower turns brown.
- Make sure to drain the extra oil on kitchen or tissue paper, sprinkle with salt.
- Serve hot with Dhaniya ki chutney (made from coriander leaves).
Additional tips while preparing the dish
- You can also add baking soda to make it spongy
- Red chili / green chilly can also be added if you want to make it spicy
- You can also add eggs to the batter
- The chilly sauce goes well with it
- To make the smooth paste add soaked rice, garlic, green chili, red chili, and cumin seeds.
- It is also known as Oriya Kakharu Phula Bhaja
I hope you try this recipe at home, and it goes well with rice as well. Give it a try