Stir-Fried Baby Pumpkin & Pine Nuts 葱油松仁炒贝贝南瓜
English: Stir-Fried Baby Pumpkin & Pine Nuts
Chinese: 葱油松仁炒贝贝南瓜
Pinyin： Cong you songren chao bei bei nan gua
Literal: Scallion oil pine nut fried with baby pumpkin
The secret to this dish is cong you (葱油), or scallion oil. The onions are slow cooked in oil for as long as you have patience - at least 20 minutes, but up to an hour - until there is a fantastic, almost cheese-and-onion-crisps flavour. This oil is then used to toss the pumpkin and pine nuts giving a rich, mellow, moreish flavour. It’s the perfect secret ingredient that has your guests wondering how you coaxed so much flavour from a simple pumpkin stir-fry.
I recently came across this dish in a local Datong restaurant in Shanxi. I was seduced by the unusual flavour pairing and menu picture: crescent slices of pumpkin the colour of runny egg yolk with a thin ivy-green skin with chipped ivory pine nuts. The trio of ingredients - pumpkin, spring onions and pine nuts - are all local to Northern China. Vegetables that grows together are often happy sharing a plate, as if nature somehow knows perfect food pairings. Think: tomatoes and olive oil, apples and blackberries, red chillies and Sichuan peppercorns, garlic and cucumber—and now, pumpkin and pine nuts.
The Korean pine trees of Dongbei and Inner Mongolia produce the best pine nuts in China—large, with rich buttery notes that pair beautifully with the creamy, sweet, nutty flesh of baby pumpkin. I often find pumpkin dishes overly sweet, but here, the garlic, scallion oil, and a touch of chilli oil cut through that sweetness perfectly.
Serves 2-3
Ingredients
For the scallion oil (葱油)
6-8 spring onions - cut into 1 inch pieces
3-4 tablespoons oil
For the rest
2 baby pumpkins (about 700g)
2 tablespoons corse cornmeal
1 tablespoon ginger - finely chopped
1 tablespoon garlic cloves - finely chopped
¼ teaspoon salt
½ tablespoon chilli oil
3 tablespoons pine nuts
Method
Make the scallion oil first. Heat a wok over low heat and add the oil. Once hot, add the spring onions. Let them cook slowly—stirring occasionally—for at least 20 minutes, ideally 40. The longer they cook, the deeper and more complex the flavour becomes. The onions will turn dark brown; this is normal, but be careful not to let them burn.
Wash the skins of the baby pumpkins well (you won’t be peeling them). Cut each pumpkin in half, scoop out and discard the seeds, then slice into wedges about ½ inch thick (1-2cm).
Steam the slices for about 12 minutes, or until just tender (al dente). They should be fully cooked but not mushy.
Drain the slices in a colander, then sprinkle with the coarse cornmeal. Let them sit and cool for about 10 minutes—this helps the coating stick and improves texture when stir-frying.
Once the scallion oil is ready, turn the heat up to high. Add another tablespoon of oil to the wok, along with the scallion oil. Add the ginger and garlic and stir-fry until fragrant, about 20 seconds.
Add the pumpkin slices, sprinkle with salt, and drizzle in the chilli oil. Stir-fry for 4–5 minutes, or until the pumpkin begins to crisp and take on colour around the edges.
Add the pine nuts and toss everything together until well mixed and heated through. Serve hot.
