Pumpkin Fritters with Amarula Sauce…… is it a side dish or a dessert? Actually unfair question. Eating these delicious little fritters should never have to be a choice. Just make them, your family and guests will absolutely love them.

Pumpkin Fritters with Amarula Sauce is a spin on an old classic South African recipe. Pampoen koekies. If you have, like me, grown up in a Afrikaans home, like me, pampoen koekies was a regular item on the menu, especially during the winter months. It is delicious with stews, Sunday Roasts or a meat pie. The sweet/salty combination is a must in South African cooking. At least I think so. Pampoen Koekies is slightly different to this recipe. It has the consistency of a crumpet and is soft and “floppy”. Although I love both pampoen koekies and pumpkin fritters, I prefer the latter for two reasons. The fritters hold their shape, so you can make them in advance which takes pressure off you when you are cooking for guests. The crunchy exterior of the fritters is what gets to me. Just so delicious. I use the recipe of  Errieda du Toit and she got it from a lady in Bloemfontein, who possibly got it from…… who knows who?

What pumpkin should you use?

The simple answer…… any pumpkin. I prefer a harder variety like butternut, the flat white (boer pampoen) or the Crown Prince pumpkin. I have a variety of pumpkin recipes on my site., check them out. From Pumpkin Cheesecake to Doughnuts and Pumpkin Pie. I think you will find it impossible to pick just one.

How to cook the pumpkin?

You can steam the pumpkin, or cook it in a little water. Roasting the the pumpkin dries it out and also adds loads more flavor. Cut the pumpkin in thick slices, peel and place the slices on a baking sheet. Drizzle with a little olive oil and a pinch of salt. Roast for 35-45 minutes. Place in food processor and process until smooth or use a potato masher and do the same. Use as prescribed in the recipe below.

Pumpkin Fritters with Amarula Sauce

makes about 20 small fritters

Ingredients

250 g roasted pumpkin – this is the weight of the mashed up pumpkin

½ t / 2 ½ ml salt

1t / 5 ml fine cinnamon

2 eggs

2 cups / 500 ml self-raising flour

1 T / 15 ml baking powder

oil for frying

For the syrup

2 cups /500 ml sugar

¾ cup /200 ml water

2 t / 10 ml milk

⅓ cup / 80 ml Amarula Liqueur

2 T / 30 ml cornflour

Method

Place the pumpkin in a mixing bowl and add the eggs, cinnamon and salt. Mix properly. Sieve together the self-raising flour and the baking powder and add to the pumpkin. Mix well. The mixture must not be runny, it must look like a muffin mix.

Heat the oil in a small pot. I use to teaspoons and make small fritters and pop them into the hot oil. The little fritters lip themselves, it is actually the cutest thing to watch. Fry until they are golden brown on all sides. Remove the fritters from the heat and drain on kitchen toweling. Continue with the batter until you have done all the fritters. Keep them warm.

Make the sauce.

Place the sugar, water, milk in a pot and bring to the boil. Mix the cornflour with a little milk or water and add to the mixture in the pot. Boil the sauce. It will thicken and become smooth and velvety. Remove from the heat and add the Amarula. Serve hot with the pumpkin fritters.

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