Crispy Chilli Pumpkin

550 g pumpkin
75 g plain flour
40g cornflour
1/4 tsp ground white pepper
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/3 tsp salt
115 ml sparkling water, cold
Oil for deep frying

For the sauce:
3 peppers sliced into 3cm strips
10 spring onions sliced on the bias, some reserved for garnishing
2 medium onions, sliced into petals
3 tbsp sunflower oil
8 large cloves garlic, crushed
3 dried red chillies
4-6 green chillies, sliced on the bias
3 tbsp dark soy sauce, (or tamari if gluten free)
1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
1 tbsp any white vinegar
1 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch)
100 ml cold water

To prepare the crispy pumpkin:
Wash the pumpkin and cut it in half. Scoop out the seeds. Slice the pumpkin into large wedges. I cut each half in two and then sliced it 2-3mm thick. It doesn't need to be too thin. You can also use a mandoline to slice the pumpkin if you find this easier.

Place the flour in a large bowl and add the cornflour, baking soda, salt, white pepper and cinnamon. Whisk briefly. Don't add water until you're ready to fry.

Heat enough oil in a pan for deep frying. The oil temperature shouldn't be too hot, since the pumpkin needs to cook through. Once the oil temperature reaches 160°C/320°F, you can proceed to the next step.

Add the sparkling water to the dry flour mixture and whisk briefly. This batter does not need to be smooth so do not whisk it too much. The more you whisk, the less crispy the coating will be. Lumps are fine.

Dip the pumpkin slices in the batter and fry them in the heated oil, working in small batches. Turn often. Each batch will take around 4 minutes to cook through and crisp up. Remove the fried pumpkin from the oil using frying tongs or a slotted spoon, draining off any excess oil. Place on absorbent kitchen paper and repeat until all the pumpkin wedges have been fried.

To keep the pumpkin extra crispy, place it on a wire rack over a baking tray. Transfer to a very low oven (100°C/210°F) until ready to use (max. 60 mins).

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