Stuffed Pumpkin Flowers

 Oh my God! Where do I start? I feel so full - after eating this dish.  Honestly, I did not expect it to be so moreish. But the crisp outer cover, the juicy ham and salty feta inside, the crunch of the stem - it was all worth it - so what if I gained a few pounds in the process?! 

Remember the other day I plucked a bunch of pumpkin flowers from the garden?  Well, that's what I am talking about.  They are finally cooked and I am ready to share my recipe.

I spent last two days researching recipes and this recipe is a combination of the few that I listened to on you tube. I experimented with  couple of flowers and understood why the chef in one of the videos wanted to wilt the flower before stuffing it.

Without further ado, let us get on to this delicious recipe!  The only downside is that you need to be patient as the filling of the flowers is a fiddly task. But all will be forgotten when you dig into them!

Ingredients:

About 25 pumpkin flowers

100 grams of Greek Feta, chopped into cubes - about 2-3 mm wide

100 grams of ham, chopped into squares, 2-3mm wide

1 cup plain flour

2 tablespoons rice flour

1 tablespoon corn flour

2 egg whites 

1 teaspoon chilli powder

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

Oil for frying

Method:

Add all the dry ingredients - flours, salt, chilli and turmeric powder and add just enough water to make a thick batter. It should resemble pancake batter.  Set aside.

Clean the flowers by gently removing the stamen, keeping the cup like part of the flower intact. Leave the stem also intact, it is usually very tender and becomes crunchy after it is cooked.  The stamen is the middle part of the flower that you can see in the pictures.

Note: It is easier to remove the stamens when the flowers are fresh and dry.

Get a saucepan and fill it with water. Let it come to a rolling boil.

Keep a bowl of water with ice cubes ready.

Dunk all the flowers in the boiling water for 30 to 40 seconds.  Remove immediately and dunk them in the ice cold water.  This keeps the flowers pliable and easy to manoeuvre when filling.

Next, take the flowers one by one, delicately open out the petals, fill the cup with the chopped feta and chopped ham. Use the pliable petals and close the flower with a slight twist at the top. Repeat this process with all the flowers.  This is the hardest part of the recipe. You will find that there may be small holes in the petals. Do not worry too much about it because when you dip it in the batter, all that will be covered.

Get a saucepan with cooking oil and turn on the stove. When you drop a little of the batter, it should come sizzling up and get cooked straightaway.

Next, dip each flower one by one into the thick batter.  Place it gently in the hot oil. Turn it around and cook all sides.

Place on a paper towel to drain excess oil.

Serve hot - enjoy as an entrée or an evening snack.