Food & Receipts

2 Delicious and Simple Dishes Made with Pumpkin Blossoms to Spice Up Your Family Meals

Bông bí, a popular traditional dish in Vietnam, has been enjoyed by locals for generations. Below are two delicious recipes using bông bí, which are easy to make and require simple ingredients, yet still deliver a delightful and flavorful experience.

Administrator

25 February, 2024

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1. Stir-fried squash with garlic

Ingredients:

1kg of squash
2 cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons of cooking oil
Seasonings: Fish sauce, soup powder, seasoning powder

Preparing the ingredients

Separate the squash into stems and flowers.
Remove the tough fiber from the stems and discard the petals and outer petals of the flowers.

After removing the excess, put the stems and flowers in a bowl with enough water to cover them and add salt. Soak for about 15 – 20 minutes to remove dirt.
While waiting, peel and wash 2 cloves of garlic. Mince half of them and separate the other half into individual cloves.

Cooking stir-fried squash with garlic:

Place a pan on the stove and heat it up, then add 2 tablespoons of cooking oil.

Once the oil is hot, add the whole cloves of garlic and sauté until fragrant and golden. Remove from the pan and set aside. Then sauté the minced garlic until golden.

Next, add the squash and a little water.

Season with fish sauce, seasoning powder, and soup powder according to your taste.

Stir-fry for about 5 minutes over high heat.
Add the sautéed cloves of garlic and stir-fry for another 1 minute, then turn off the heat.
You can sprinkle some black pepper to enhance the flavor of the dish.

Stir-fried squash with garlic is a perfect combination with steamed rice for every family meal.

2. Stir-fried squash with shrimp

Ingredients:

Squash: 1 bunch (squash flowers)
Large shrimp: 200g
Garlic: 1 clove
Seasonings: Salt, monosodium glutamate, seasoning powder
Cooking oil

Remove the fiber from the squash, discard the petals, then cut into short sections of about 4-5cm. Soak in diluted saltwater, then rinse and drain.
Peel and mince the garlic.
Peel the shrimp, remove the head and black thread on the back.
Marinate the shrimp with 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of seasoning powder for 10 minutes.

Heat up a pan, add cooking oil and sauté half of the minced garlic until fragrant.
Add the shrimp and stir-fry until the shrimp turns pink, then remove them from the pan.
Add more cooking oil and sauté the remaining minced garlic. Then add the squash and stir-fry together.
When the squash is cooked through, add the shrimp and stir-fry until the squash is tender. Season with more salt and seasoning powder to taste, then turn off the heat.

Frequently asked questions

There are two wonderful dishes suggested in the article. The first is a salad, where you mix the blossoms with shrimp and a special sauce. The second is a more filling option, a pumpkin blossom frittata, which is a type of Italian omelet.

Both dishes offer a unique and interesting way to enjoy the health benefits and flavor of pumpkin blossoms. The salad is a refreshing and light option, perfect for a summer meal, while the frittata is a heartier dish that can be served for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

To make this salad, you’ll need pumpkin blossoms, shrimp, fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, garlic, chili, and roasted peanuts. First, you clean and dry the blossoms, then mix them with the shrimp and other ingredients. The special sauce is made by combining fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, and garlic, and this is poured over the blossom and shrimp mixture. Finally, you sprinkle roasted peanuts on top for a crunchy texture.

For the frittata, you’ll need pumpkin blossoms, eggs, milk, cheese, butter, onion, and spices of your choice. First, you sauté the onion in butter, then add the pumpkin blossoms. In a separate bowl, you beat the eggs with milk and spices, then pour this mixture into the pan with the onions and blossoms. Finally, you sprinkle cheese on top and bake it in the oven until it’s cooked through.

Yes, it’s important to choose fresh, unblemished blossoms, and to clean them thoroughly before using them. They should be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator, and they will usually stay fresh for a few days.