You’ve had pumpkins in cakes and savoury food, but unless you have been to Chile before, you have never had pumpkin in this form before. It tastes almost like a cracker but unlike your usual chicken or prawn flavours, the pumpkin fritter, Sopaipillas brings a unique texture with each crunchy bite.
Ingredients:
- One small sugar pumpkin
- 4 cups of multi-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- Three tablespoons vegetable oil (for mixture)
- Two tablespoons dark sugar/brown sugar
- Four tablespoons of melted butter
- One teaspoon of salt
- Vegetable oil for deep frying
Preparation Method:
- Remove the pumpkin seeds and cut it into halves.
- Place the pumpkin halves on a baking paper and bake for about 40 to 50 minutes under a temperature of 190 Celsius. The pumpkin is ready when you can slice through it with a fork.
- Remove the pumpkin filling from the shell and press it through a food mill. Make sure you have about 1 cup of packed pumpkin
- To prepare the Sopaipillas, add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and brown sugar/dark sugar into a mixing bowl.
- Add the melted butter and slowly add pumpkin to the mix while using your hand to mix the dough mixture.
- Gradually add about 1 to 2 tablespoon of water to the mixture each time until you get a doughy consistency.
- Knead the dough using your hand until it is smooth and well-combined.
- Let the dough rest for 5 minutes.
- Roll the dough and cut it into a 4-inch circle shape. Continue to need and reduce until you have used all the mixture.
- In a deep pan, add a generous amount of oil enough for deep-frying and heat until it reaches a temperature of about 180 Celsius.
- Fry the prepared Sopaipillas in small batches to ensure they are crispy. Fry until they are golden brown. Remove from the heat and use a paper towel to absorb any excess oil.
- Serve your Sopaipillas as snacks on its own or serve it with your dipping of choice.
Pro Tip: The best way to enjoy the Sopaipillas is by dipping it in syrup made up of dark brown sugar, cinnamon sticks, cloves and orange. You can easily prepare it by mixing all the ingredients with water on a stove and cook until you achieve a sticky consistency.