Pumpkin is one of the most sought-after vegetables in diet and baby food. In a dark, cool room, fruits can be stored until spring. But the cut pumpkin cannot be saved for a long time. In addition, the grown fruits often reach enormous size, and the family is not able to eat such an amount of pumpkin for a maximum of two weeks. That is why this vegetable is recommended to be dried. And how to do it right, we will tell in our article.
Dried pumpkin: calories and nutritional value
Pumpkin, like most other dried vegetables and fruits, retains the same set of beneficial substances that were kept fresh. The dried vegetable contains all the important vitamins and minerals necessary for the normal functioning of the body, dietary fiber that beneficially affects metabolic processes and helps to eliminate toxins.
Dried pumpkin gives strength during physical exertion, has a positive effect on all organs of the digestive system, strengthens memory. Moreover, the semi-finished product resulting from drying does not require additional heat treatment. Dried pumpkin contains 1.8 g of protein (2% of the daily intake) and 8.4 g of carbohydrates per 100 g of vegetable. Calorie content depends on the variety of fruits and is approximately 41 kcal per 100 grams. Thanks to this, pumpkin can be included in various diets, used in the preparation of low-calorie dietary soups, cereals, etc.
Three ways to dry a pumpkin
There are three main ways to dry a pumpkin at home:
- Drying pumpkins outdoors is the best option on the street, but a kitchen room is also suitable.
- Dried pumpkin in an electric dryer for vegetables and fruits - with this method of processing fruits, the required temperature regime is maintained, which allows you to save a maximum of nutrients.
- Drying pumpkins in the oven - can be used as an alternative to an electric dryer. Subject to the technology, it also produces tasty and healthy dried vegetables and fruits.
In addition, dried pumpkin can be cooked with sugar or savory, while maintaining the natural taste of the product. Read more about how to dry a pumpkin in different ways, below.
How to dry a pumpkin in the air
Our grandmothers also used this method when they were harvesting apple, apricot and other drying for the winter. Sliced pieces of pumpkin according to this recipe are laid out in one layer on a baking sheet, and preferably a sieve, which will provide good ventilation. After that, the workpiece with pieces of vegetables must be taken out into the open air (in the courtyard of the house or on the balcony) and the baking sheet should be positioned so that the sun's rays fall on it. In good weather, dried pumpkin will be ready in 2-3 days.
You can also dry the pumpkin in the kitchen. To do this, it is cut into thin plates and suspended using a sewing needle on a nylon thread. In this case, the pumpkin will be dried under the hood or over the window for about a week.
Dried pumpkin, the recipe of which is proposed above, has several disadvantages. Firstly, it is difficult to maintain the necessary sterility conditions, since flies will still land on vegetables. Secondly, autumn weather is not always favorable for drying.
How to dry a pumpkin in an electric dryer?
It is easiest and most convenient to dry a pumpkin in a special electric dryer. And although the vegetables in it are dried from 12 to 24 hours, this happens without the direct participation of a person. It is enough to fill the pallets with cut pieces and turn on the device. After 12-20 hours, the dried pumpkin in the dryer will be ready. The temperature in the device is maintained at 55 degrees throughout the entire time.
It is necessary to cut the vegetable for drying in small pieces with a thickness of not more than 3 cm. The time spent by the pumpkin in the dryer will depend on the size of the cut. Before drying, pieces can be boiled for 5 minutes in sweet water (100 g sugar per 1 liter of water). Thanks to this, dried pumpkin in an electric dryer will have a more saturated taste and bright color.
Store the finished pumpkin in a glass jar covered with a cloth (parchment paper) and a tightened elastic band. You can also use a special bag made of natural fabric for storage.
Drying pumpkins in the oven
Drying pumpkin in the oven is much faster than in the air, but not as convenient as in an electric dryer. Nevertheless, it is this method of drying that is used most often by housewives.
Before sending the baking tray with pumpkin into the oven, it is recommended to blanch the sliced vegetable by first dropping it in boiling water for 2 minutes and then in cold. This will help preserve the bright orange color of the pumpkin. Water can be made sweet or slightly salty.
After water drains from sliced pumpkin pieces in a colander, they must be laid out in one layer on a baking sheet and sent to the oven for 5 hours, where they will be dried at a temperature of 60 degrees. After 2 hours, increase the temperature to 80 degrees and continue to dry the vegetable for another 2 hours. Then turn off the oven, and leave the pan in it until it cools completely.
The dried pumpkin in the oven is slightly soft inside. It can be added to sweet pastries, milk porridges or eat instead of sweets with tea.
Sweet dried pumpkin
The whole advantage of this recipe is that you can get not only a sweet pumpkin, which is easy to replace with sweets, but also a bright and fragrant pumpkin syrup. Drying an orange vegetable according to this recipe is recommended in the following sequence:
- Put pieces of pumpkin (1 kg) about 3 cm thick into a pan, add a glass of sugar, cover with a flat plate and put oppression on top, for example a three-liter jar of water. Send the pan to the refrigerator overnight.
- After the specified time, drain the juice in a separate jar and save it for syrup. Pour the pumpkin slices with sugar again and put the pan in the refrigerator for another 10 hours.
- After time, get the pumpkin, and pour the juice into the pan and boil it, adding sugar to taste. Boil the juice for 10 minutes, then add slices of pumpkin into it and continue cooking for another 10 minutes, not allowing the syrup to boil.
- Throw the pumpkin into a colander or sieve, after which the juice can be preserved.
- When all excess liquid drains from the pumpkin, the pieces can be dried by any of the methods proposed above.
Candied pumpkin in an electric dryer
In the electric dryer, you can cook useful candied vegetable pumpkin, which is not inferior in taste to the natural "sweets" of pineapple, bananas and other fruits. At the same time, in order to improve the taste of candied fruits, it is recommended to additionally use spices (cinnamon, cloves, ginger). Also, dried pumpkin goes well with citrus fruits (lemons, oranges).
To make candied fruits according to this recipe, you need 0.5 kg of pumpkin, a glass of sugar and peel with 1 orange. First, the vegetable must be cut into pieces, then pour them with sugar and leave it in this form for several hours so that the pumpkin starts the juice. After a while, add crusted cubes to it and put the pan on the fire. Cook the pumpkin for 5 minutes, after which remove the pan from the stove and leave the mass to infuse for 6 hours. After the indicated time, boil the pumpkin again for 5 minutes, and then let it brew again for 3 hours.
Then put the vegetable slices on pallets previously covered with parchment and leave in the electric dryer for 6 hours. After the specified time, candied fruits will be ready.
Pumpkin Chips
You can make thin dry leaves of pumpkin in the oven and in the electric dryer, but it is preferable to use the second option of drying. It is necessary to start the process of vegetable processing with baking. To do this, the pumpkin is cut into several large parts, the seed part is removed from it, and the vegetable directly with the peel goes to the oven, heated to 170 degrees. The baking time depends on the size of the sliced pieces and is 20-40 minutes.
After the vegetable is ready, it must be cooled and a spoon removed all the flesh to the very peel. One pumpkin weighing 2 kg produces about 2 cups of pulp. It also needs to be laid out on a pallet of an electric dryer with a thin layer, about a glass on a baking sheet. The pumpkin will dry for 16 hours at a temperature of 55 degrees. As a result, thin orange sheets form. The dried pumpkin in the dryer turns out to be quite fragile, so it breaks well into pieces. This creates chips that are well stored in a glass jar.
Pumpkin powder
The sheets resulting from the drying of the pulp can be used in the preparation of dishes directly in this form or made from pumpkin powder. To do this, dried chips according to the previous recipe, you need to grind in a coffee grinder or electric grinder with a special nozzle. If the grinding is too coarse, the powder must be sieved through a fine sieve, and then crushed again.
Dried pumpkin, the recipe for which is to dry pieces, not pulp, can also be used to make pumpkin powder. Only it will need to be pre-held in an electric dryer for 4 hours, so that the pieces become hard inside. It’s almost impossible to turn soft pumpkin into powder.
What kind of dishes can I cook with dried pumpkin?
Dried pumpkin in the form of unsweetened slices is most often used for making mashed soups. To do this, it is boiled in salted water, where it increases in volume several times. After that, other vegetables are added to the soup, and at the very end of the preparation, using a blender, mash it. Sweet candied fruits are usually added to baked goods along with other dried fruits.
Dried pumpkin for the winter has found even greater use in the form of pumpkin powder. It is used in the preparation of absolutely any dishes. To do this, the powder is soaked first in water ( cup of powder accounts for 1 glass of water), and then added directly to the dish. You can use the powder directly in dry form, using it as a breading for meat and fish or adding to flour, making it brighter, and the dough tastier.
Dark chocolate with pumpkin seeds, candied fruit and dried apricots
This is a great way to make plain dark chocolate more healthy. To do this, its taste is enriched with pumpkin candied fruit, dried apricots, raisins and dried seeds.
For the preparation of candied fruit, a dried pumpkin recipe (sweet) will be relevant. Dried apricots and raisins (50 g each) should be soaked for several minutes in warm water, and then dried on a paper towel. Dry pumpkin seeds in the oven at a temperature of 160 degrees 30 minutes, stirring constantly, so as not to burn. On a sheet of parchment, draw a square with sides of 20 cm to indicate the boundaries of the future chocolate bar.
Then you need to melt the chocolate (200 g) in a water bath. Pour it on parchment, sprinkle on top with candied fruit, dried apricots and raisins, as well as pumpkin seeds, peeled or not. Cool the chocolate for 2 hours. Then cut into pieces and send for storage in the refrigerator.
Healthy banana and pumpkin sweets
To prepare such sweets, you will also need pumpkin pulp (0.5 kg), baked in the oven. Then a small banana is added to it , sugar to taste and mashed with a blender. The resulting puree is spread with a spoon on a pastille tray in an electric dryer (about 6 tablespoons), spread evenly with a thin layer and dried for 12 hours. During this time, the sheets will not become dry, as in the preparation of chips. They will be soft and plastic. They are twisted with a tube, which is then cut into portioned pieces.
Dried pumpkin sweets with their own hands are moderately sweet and very healthy. They can be given to children from the age of one.
Dried Pumpkin Phali: Georgian Cuisine
Phali (mkhali) is a Georgian cuisine dish that can be prepared from any vegetables, meat, fish or offal, but the dressing is always used the same. Dried pumpkin is always used for pumpkin phali. It is boiled in salted water, then thrown back into a colander and allowed to drain excess fluid. After that, the pumpkin is cut into small pieces.
Refueling is always made from the same ingredients. To do this, use walnuts (2 cups), cilantro, celery and dill, uchi-suneli (1 teaspoon), garlic (3 cloves), vinegar (3 tablespoons). Then pumpkin is mixed with dressing and let it brew for about an hour. During this time, the pumpkin absorbs all the liquid from the sauce and may become too dry. If necessary, you can add a little water to the snack.