Pumpkin with salted egg yolk is a popular dish among the Chinese. I had it a few days ago when I dined in my favorite Chinese restaurant. 

After returning home, I realized I could easily make the dish. After a few attempts, I found shallow-frying the pumpkins was better than deep-frying, as the latter required too much oil. 

Therefore, I would like to share my recipe for making this dish at home in this article.

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1. The ingredients required for pumpkin with salted egg yolk

You only need two primary ingredients in this recipe: pumpkin and salty egg yolks.

Pumpkin

You can use either pumpkins or other winter squash, such as acorn squash and kabocha. I use the local pumpkin, which works well.

Slate egg yolks

Another key ingredient is salted duck egg yolks, a widely used savory Asian item. With a unique flavor, it is suitable to cook with any dish or eaten on its own. 

While making salted eggs using duck eggs is possible, I prefer to purchase them from the market for convenience.

Most salted duck eggs sold in Asian countries are raw. To use them, boil or steam them for approximately ten minutes until they are cooked. However, in New Zealand, I found that the salted eggs are precooked, vacuum-packed, and sold at the Asian market I visited. In this case, I use them immediately after removing them from the packaging. 

Since the recipe requires only the salted egg yolks, save the salted egg whites for other dishes, such as steaming them with ground meat or adding them to congee.

2. Cook the pumpkin

First, remove the pumpkin’s skin and seeds and cut them into slices. There are several ways to cook pumpkin slices, depending on your preference. 

• One standard method is deep-frying, which is quick and easy and produces even cooking but requires a lot of oil. This is the most common method used in Chinese restaurants.
• You can steam the pumpkin instead of frying it if you prefer a healthier option. 
• I used the third method in this recipe to shallow fry the pumpkin. This method produces a similar result to deep-frying but with less oil.

How to shallow fry the pumpkin slices:

1. For optimal results when frying pumpkin slices, sprinkle with salt and let them sit for 15 minutes. 
2. After that, remove excess water, then coat with cornstarch. 
3. Next, heat some cooking oil in a  large pan or wok over medium heat. 
4. Add the cornstarch-coated pumpkin slices and shallow-fry until they turn golden brown on all sides. 
5. Remove them from the pan and put them on paper towels to absorb excess oil. 

I use the shallow-fry method in this recipe, but you can choose any of the above-mentioned methods.

If you want the pumpkin slices to be extra crispy, deep-fry them in oil over medium heat. Remove them from the oil and let them cool for a minute, then place them back in the oil and deep-fry them over high heat for another 30 seconds or until they turn golden brown. This double-fry method will make the pumpkin slices very crispy.

3. Coat the pumpkin with the salted egg yolk sauce

1. To prepare the salted egg yolk sauce, start by mashing the salted egg yolk in a mixing bowl with a fork. 
2. Heat some oil in a wok and sauté the chopped garlic until aromatic. 
3. Add a stalk of curry leaves to enhance the flavor. (optional)
4. Also, add some chopped bird’s eye chili (chili padi) at this stage if you want it spicy. (optional)
5. Add the mashed salted egg yolks and stir-fry over low heat until it bubbles. 
6. Taste the sauce to see if it’s salty enough. Some egg yolks are saltier than others, so you need to taste them first before adding more salt. You can also add a bit of sugar to balance the saltiness. 
7. Add a splash of Shaoxing wine and return the fried pumpkin slices to the creamy sauce in the wok. Let the sauce coat every piece of the pumpkin. 
8. Dish out and garnish with chopped red chili and thinly sliced green onion. 

Crispy pumpkin with salted egg yolks is a delicious vegetarian dish that can be served as a side or main dish. It pairs perfectly with white rice, but it can also stand alone as a tasty side dish if you don’t make it too salty.

4. Related recipe for pumpkin with salted egg yolk

If you enjoy this classic Chinese dish, I have several popular recipes on my food blog that I would like to share with you. Here are my top picks.

• Try the bitter gourd with eggs stir-fry recipe. It is a delicious alternative way of using salted egg yolks. 
• For a unique and flavorful steamed egg dish, try combining a regular chicken egg, salted egg, and century egg. If you have any leftover salted egg whites from this recipe, you can mix them with regular and century eggs to make this dish. 
• A popular Cantonese dish cooked in many Chinese households is steamed minced pork with salted egg. It is a simple and delicious recipe that can be enjoyed on a daily basis.