Makes about 25 fritters

Pumpkin fritters are a much-loved South African side dish. Cinnamon sugar is a typical topping for these but once you’ve tasted this fragrant oil as a healthy alternative, you’ll never look back. Pumpkin or butternut can be used to prepare these fritters, and both are delicious with a touch of spice, as well as the earthy aroma of fresh sage. Westfalia Avocado Oil is perfect for pan-frying. The high smoke point also makes it ideal to heat with the sage without affecting the health properties.

 

Ingredients

Fritters

  • 800 g pumpkin or butternut, peeled and diced
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 2 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 250 ml (1 cup) cake flour
  • 7,5 ml (½ tbsp) baking powder
  • 1,25 ml (¼ tsp) ground all spice or cinnamon
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • extra Westfalia Plain Avocado Oil for frying

 

Sage oil

  • 90 ml (6 tbsp) Westfalia Plain Avocado Oil
  • 20-25 whole fresh sage leaves, patted dry

 

Method

  1. Fritters: Place pumpkin or butternut with cinnamon stick and about 200 ml water in a saucepan. Bring to the boil and simmer with a lid for 25 minutes or until cooked. Drain well and allow to cool.
  2. Place cooked pumpkin or butternut in a bowl and mash with a fork or a potato masher. Stir in the eggs until well blended.
  3. Sieve dry ingredients over mashed pumpkin or butternut, season to taste and gently mix with a whisk or wooden spoon until no more flour is visible. Do not overmix.
  4. Heat a large frying pan over a medium temperature and add a thin layer of avocado oil. Drop spoonfuls (about 30 ml) of batter into the pan. Fry for a few minutes on the one side until golden brown and the top starts to set.
  5. Turn over with a spatula and fry until cooked and golden brown on the other side. Keep warm and repeat with the remaining batter and add more oil in a thin layer as needed.
  6. Sage oil: Meanwhile, place the avocado oil in a small frying pan and heat over a medium to low temperature. Once the oil starts to ‘move’ in the pan, stir in the fresh sage leaves and allow them to fry just until almost crispy, but still green. Take care as the crispier they get, the more brittle they are.
  7. Serve the warm fritters immediately with spoonsfuls of warm sage oil. Pumpkin fritters are delicious with any meat of your choice.

 

Tips
  1. Leftover pumpkin or butternut can be used successfully – you will need 650 g cooked and mashed to prepare the fritters.
  2. When sage is not in season, use basil leaves instead.