Pumpkin is a sorceress. This is what nutritionists and naturopathic doctors call this vegetable, because they know that it breaks all records for useful properties, competing only with turnips and red beets. At the same time, the taste of pumpkin for some people (especially children) seems unpleasant, so it is excluded from the menu, having tried several recipes. Resourceful and curious cooks found a way out: they began to mix pumpkin puree with other vegetables, mushrooms and meat. This article presents one of the simplest dishes - pumpkin pancakes. Recipes with photos that explain the cooking technology step by step will help readers take a fresh look at this vegetable.
Draniki or pancakes?
The Belarusian word "potato pancakes", in essence, means that which was kicked - in our understanding - is ground on a grater. In the old days, when graters habitual to us did not exist yet, vegetables were crushed on a wooden board with a sharp wide edge, rubbing them to small flakes. Over time, civilization has invented a more convenient subject for this, but the word remains, as well as a way to cook pumpkin pancakes according to the recipe of grandmothers quickly and tasty.
Given that potato pancakes (potato pancakes in Ukrainian) are vegetable pancakes, some people are confused about how to actually call them. It should be clarified that the dough for fritters has a uniform structure (that is, vegetables should be mashed), and the mass for pancakes consists of small pieces.
Simple option
The fundamental recipe for pumpkin pancakes can be considered one that uses only this vegetable. To prepare four servings of this diet dish, you should take:
- 350 grams of pumpkin;
- 1-2 eggs;
- 3 tbsp. l wheat flour;
- a generous pinch of salt, black pepper and coriander;
- vegetable oil for frying.
Some pumpkin pancake recipes indicate garlic and parsley (dill) in their composition, but these products do not combine well with the delicate taste of this vegetable, overlapping its aroma. Therefore, it is up to the cook to decide whether to do this.
Cooking dough
To prepare the dough for potato pancakes according to the recipe quickly: peel the pumpkin and seeds, grate with small holes and mix with spices and salt. Add eggs and flour, mix well so that they are evenly distributed over the grated mass.
If it turns out that the liquid is too much, you can add 1 tbsp. l starch, so that he absorbs excess. You should not leave the finished dough for potato pancakes, otherwise the pumpkin will start letting out juice and it will become unsuitable for frying.
How to fry potato pancakes
Warm the pan well, then pour two tablespoons of vegetable oil on it. When it heats up, put the potato pancakes in it in the form of circles or ovals with a spoon, with a diameter of not more than 8 cm, use a spoon to form neat edges and press the surface, making it flat, then the product will fry faster.
When one side is browned, turn with a spatula to the other side and continue heat treatment. The degree of blush is determined to your taste: someone likes crispy potato pancakes (fried harder), and someone prefers a fresher pumpkin flavor, bringing the potato pancake to an aldente state.
For good taste
Most recipes of pumpkin pancakes (by the way, and others, too) tell in detail about the products, the method of preparation of the dough, but rarely important information for the good taste of this dish is found:
- Finished products are important to lay on a paper napkin, and not just on a plate. Excess fat must be absorbed by it, otherwise the potato pancake will be wet and unpleasant in taste, even if it is fried in a minimal amount of oil. When the hot food begins to cool, moisture appears on the surface of the plate, but if there is no napkin, it is absorbed back, making the meal not crunchy but soft.
- This dish is tasty only in its warm form, so you need to cook as much as the family eats in one sitting. Microwave-heated potato pancakes are no longer very good.
With the addition of potatoes
For some people, the specific taste of pumpkin is not very good, so they add not only other vegetables to the dough, but also strong spices. For example, in a recipe for potato and pumpkin pancakes, nutmeg, which has a strong aroma, is also mentioned. For cooking, you need to take the following products:
- 300 grams of pumpkin;
- 3-4 medium-sized potatoes;
- 2 eggs;
- 1/4 nutmeg grated on a fine grater;
- 1/4 tsp black pepper;
- 1/2 tsp salts;
- 1 bunch of green onions;
- a pinch of ground rosemary;
- 4-5 Art. l wheat flour.
Such vegetable pancakes are prepared according to the general principle described above.
In the oven: dietary option
Despite the fact that pumpkin is considered a low-calorie product, after frying in oil, the energy value of the dish increases significantly, and fried food in a pan is less healthy than steamed or in the oven. This is the recipe for pumpkin potato pancakes and can be a good helper when there is no idea what to submit to fish or meat. You can take the previous recipe as the basis for the test, but if it seems too spicy, then try this:
- Grate 200 grams of pumpkin and potato on a coarse grater with one large onion. Squeeze the juice, you need a drier mass than usual.
- Add two eggs and salt to taste. Also, for a light flavoring shade, you can add a pinch of allspice.
- Pour 3 tbsp to the mass. l flour, mix thoroughly.
Line the baking sheet with foil or parchment paper, lightly grease with a silicone brush. Using a spoon, put small oval cakes on it, gently squeezing them, giving a flattened shape. Put in the oven, set the temperature to 200 degrees. After half an hour, make it 40 degrees higher, and after 8-10 minutes turn off the oven.
Draniki with cheese
If you need to cook pumpkin pancakes quickly and tasty, and the recipe requires fussing with a grater, then you can cheat a little and use an ordinary meat grinder to chop vegetables. The resulting mass will be more uniform, which some even more like. And for a more refined taste, use hard cheese. So, step by step:
- Pass 250 grams of pumpkin and potato through a meat grinder, squeeze out the excess liquid. Add to the mass of 200 grams of grated cheese, 3 tbsp. l flour and one egg.
- Add to the test 1 tsp. mixtures of provence herbs. If it is not available, then confine yourself to a pinch of pepper mixed with coriander and oregano.
- Knead the mass thoroughly to evenly distribute the spices and then fry the potato pancakes in a pan (preferably Teflon) until cooked.
Serve better when hot, as they cool down become stiff and hard due to cheese (not to be confused with crunchy properties). These pancakes with tartar sauce and pickled cucumbers are very tasty.
A hearty option for a hearty snack
This dish can be used not only as an addition to the main one, but also in an independent form. For those who find simple pumpkin pancakes seem too fresh and do not saturate properly, you can offer a step-by-step photo recipe for potato pancakes with pumpkin and minced meat, which should appeal to those who need a lot of energy during the day. The dough is kneaded from such products:
- 250 grams of grated pumpkin;
- 150 grams of raw potatoes, chopped in the same way;
- 200 grams of any minced meat;
- 2 eggs;
- 1 large onion;
- 2 cloves of garlic;
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg and as much coriander;
- 1/2 tsp black pepper;
- 1 tsp without a hill of salt;
- 2-3 art. l semolina.
How to cook potato pancakes
Despite the presence of an ingredient unusual for this dish, it cooks quickly. The recipe for delicious pumpkin pancakes with a meat product has another feature: semolina replaces the usual flour in it, which makes the potato pancakes lush and not too fat, as it might seem at first glance. Onions should be chopped very finely (or grate it with other vegetables), mixed with pumpkin, potatoes and minced meat in one bowl.
Grind the garlic in a press, combine with other spices and salt, add semolina. Pour the resulting mixture to the minced meat and knead thoroughly, adding eggs in the process. It is important that all ingredients are evenly distributed by weight. Then cover the dishes with a napkin or towel and leave for half an hour to make the semolina swell and absorb the excess liquid that often forms in grated vegetables.
Fry pancakes in the usual way in a pan in a small amount of oil over medium heat, bringing them to a rich ruddy hue. Spicy sauce goes well with this option of potato pancakes: adjika, ketchup with jalapenos or tabasco, a salad of fresh vegetables will also come in handy.
Ducans Draniki
The well-known nutritionist also turned his attention to this miracle vegetable, slightly adjusted the recipe and presented a new dish to the court of fans of his diet. It consists of:
- 300 grams of pumpkin;
- 80 grams of potatoes;
- 2 eggs;
- 4-5 Art. l oatmeal;
- 1 onion (you can use green onions);
- a generous pinch of sunnel hops;
- 1/2 tsp salt and as much ground oregano.
Cooking
This recipe for pumpkin pancakes has a small amount of grated potatoes in its composition - only to give a flavoring shade. If the pumpkin tastes good in its original form, then the potatoes can be excluded from the recipe by replacing the same amount of pumpkin mass. Grind oatmeal with a coffee grinder in flour and mix with vegetable mass, add spices, salt and eggs.
Chop the onion very finely and add to the dough. Leave it for half an hour so that the oatmeal is swollen from pumpkin juice. Next, spread the vegetable dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment, in the form of ovals, using a spoon to form even edges and gently pressing in the center. Bake pancakes according to Ducane in the oven at a temperature of 200 degrees to a delicate blush, which takes an average of no more than 15 minutes. Serving such a diet dish is good with low-calorie yogurt, slightly sprinkled with fresh herbs.
Each of the proposed recipes will find its admirer. Try to cook this delicious dish - and you will be grateful not only loved ones, but also your own body.